For decades Palestinians across the world have been seeking recognition of statehood, and following that recognition by the Government of Canada in September of this year, the flag of the State of Palestine was raised at Calgary city hall.

The Nov. 15 raising was a historic first for the community in Calgary. One of their long-standing protest demands for the past two-years in the city has been a formal recognition by the government of their state being sovereign.

Palestinian-Canadians called the day a celebration for their community.

“It is symbolic. We’ve been fighting for this. We have 56 nations, communities that have raised their flags in the City of Calgary. We’ve been waiting patiently for years. So this is our moment, and we would like just acknowledge what have we been through, the struggle we’ve been through, and this is just today for us to celebrate and stand bright with Calgarians,” said Maem Amer, a member of the Palestinian Community Association—Calgary.

“We’re Canadians, we’re Calgarians, our heritage, our culture is back in Palestine. We just want to acknowledge that.”

Several hundred community members gathered at the courtesy flag pole at municipal plaza for the raising, the only pole out of 19 flag poles at Calgary City Hall that is used on a temporary basis to raise national flags, as well as that of community groups and non-profits.

Pride in Calgary is also the ability to express pride in one’s culture

Amer said that every community in Calgary should have the opportunity to fly the national flag of their homelands.

“Each and every community in this city, in the province, in Canada, deserves a day for its community, and not one should be punished because of that,” he said.

That the raising of the flag of the State of Palestine may be the last in Calgary, should an urgent notice of motion before Calgary’s Executive Committee proceed, would be bittersweet, said Amer.

“I think lots of people will be mailing their councillors to oppose such a motion. Hopefully it doesn’t pass through.”

That motion was signed on by newly elected Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who in a statement provided to LWC, said that community members had come forward with urgent concerns over the raising of national flags at city hall over the past several days.

Israel’s flag was raised on the courtesy flag pole on May 1 in Calgary, recognizing that nation’s 77th independence anniversary, without a motion being put forward to prevent the flying of flags at that time.

Big talk online, but ones of protesters show up in opposition

Two protesters against the raising of the flag showed up in opposition, livestreaming their bickering with police over whether the raising of the State of Palestine flag was legal or not, calling it the flag of a terrorist state.

That in person protest came about after some social media outrage over the planned raising of the State of Palestine flag in the week leading up to the raising.

Wesam Cooley, an organizer for many of the Palestinian protests in Calgary, said that the Palestinian community had earned the right to have the flag raised at City Hall, the same as the other that had the opportunity to do so before.

“Because of that step that was fought for, for recognition of the Palestinian state, it means that we’ve earned our right to have the flag raised here, like every other nation’s flag is,” he said.

He said the motion to exclude national flags, comes after a nexus of anti-Palestinian hate and rhetoric has forced the hands of city leaders to do something.

“In doing something, it’s decided that it’s just gonna ban everything. It’s a silly motion. I hope it gets defeated,” he said.

“There are many, many communities who want to be able to celebrate their national days in this way. I don’t see why they shouldn’t be.”

It’s only national flags in the motion, and not other groups or communities.

Beau Shaw, a former candidate for Calgary-Centre,and an advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ community, said that there would be repercussions by outright banning the flying of national flags to satisfy temporary outrage.

“It raises questions about what we’re going to do when foreign dignitaries want to invest in our city and we’re not willing to show them the courtesy that many other countries around the world show their foreign dignitaries,” he said.

“Why is it that all immigrant communities must suffer for the city’s inability to confer between these two communities?”

Shaw felt it was hard to not read the motion’s intent as wanting to stifle the free expression of Canadians who also hold cultural ties to other nations.

“Are those the Canadian values that we’re expressing here, that we must suppress expression in order to reach a peaceful management of our populace?” he said.

“I don’t think that’s reasonable. I don’t think that’s correct. I don’t think it encourages building bridges. I think it is shameful, and I think it’s cowardly.”