Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1658 EAT on Monday 22 September 2025

Paris, France – Mayors across France have raised Palestinian flags in defiance of a government directive ordering their removal, as France edges closer to joining other European nations in recognizing a Palestinian state.

As of Monday morning, the Ministry of the Interior reported that 21 town halls had hoisted the Palestinian flag, despite explicit instructions from Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau—a member of the right-wing Republicans party—urging municipal authorities to maintain political neutrality.

The number is expected to rise, with several more municipalities reportedly planning to follow suit in the coming days.

The move comes amid growing momentum across Europe for formal recognition of Palestine, with countries like Spain, Ireland, and Norway already announcing or preparing similar steps.

Retailleau warned that local governments must refrain from taking sides in international political matters, saying the display of the flag violates the principles of neutrality expected from public institutions.

The mayors’ actions were in response to a call by Olivier Faure, leader of France’s Socialist Party, who sharply criticized Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau for what he described as “insane indecency.” Faure, addressing Retailleau—who announced his resignation earlier this week—urged him to step aside.

“I regret that the minister found nothing better to do than to condemn mayors who are simply fulfilling their duty of solidarity,” Faure said. “How can we label this as a reprehensible act while failing to denounce what is happening in Gaza?”

In the Parisian suburb of Malakoff, Communist Party mayor Jacqueline Belhomme raised the Palestinian flag on Friday, openly defying a police order to take it down. She denounced the removal directive as a “prefectural coup,” a reference to the authority of regional prefects acting on behalf of the Interior Ministry.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Belhomme said the gesture carried symbolic weight.

“It is something symbolically important, just as we did some time ago with the Ukrainian flag when we stood with the Ukrainian people who were under attack by Russia,” she said.

Elsewhere, Johanna Rolland, the Socialist Party mayor of Nantes, also raised the Palestinian flag in solidarity. In a post on X, Rolland wrote:

“Nantes is accompanying this historic decision by the French Republic by raising, for the day, the Palestinian flag.”

Karim Bouamrane, mayor of the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, expressed strong support for Palestine in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “Many of us have campaigned for years for this day to come. In Saint-Ouen, it is with pride that we will adorn the front of the town hall with the Palestinian flag.”

The move follows France’s announcement that it will formally recognize a Palestinian state at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York—joining a growing list of European nations taking similar steps.

The announcement comes amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, now approaching its second year, with Palestinian health authorities reporting over 65,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands more injured since the conflict began.

Efforts to broker a ceasefire are expected to dominate discussions at this year’s UN General Assembly, as global pressure mounts on both sides.

France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, defended the move, calling recognition of Palestine a “categorical disavowal of Hamas” and describing it as “a great diplomatic victory for France” amid intensifying international scrutiny

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, criticized France’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, calling it an “extremely serious mistake.” In an interview with local media, Le Pen claimed,

“It is the Hamastan that Emmanuel Macron recognizes today, not Palestine.”

Her remarks drew sharp condemnation from political opponents. Mathilde Panot, a senior figure in the left-wing France Unbowed party, accused Le Pen of supporting what she described as the “genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin urged caution and compassion, warning that France must not overlook the “humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza” as it moves toward diplomatic recognition of Palestine.

This report includes information sourced from Al Jazeera.

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