Calgary councillors approved changes to the city’s flag policy, but one councillor is worried that it’s a recipe for more division.

Based on a recent speech to Calgary’s Jewish community, however, Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the raising of foreign flags is cause for hate and division.

The motion to amend the city’s flag policy to disallow the raising of foreign national flags on the municipal plaza courtesy pole passed 8-7.

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal said the practice of flying national flags has been going on at Calgary’s municipal plaza for years. He asked questions around the number of incidents or complaints about flag raisings, and city admin said there was no data to support issues arising from flag raising.

“This was just made, in my opinion, in a way, it’s more divisive,” Dhaliwal said.

“Residents come here, some of them, their previous generations, came here. They’re just raising a flag, (it) gives them a sense of belonging to the city, proud Calgarians, gratitude to this country, to this city. It was that simple.”

Dhaliwal said he didn’t want to presuppose events leading to the flag ban, though he said it’s evident that it was triggered after requests for a flag raising from the Palestinian community.

“It’s going on for many, many years, and this is just a temporary pole that’s sitting in a municipal plaza that belongs to all Calgarians, and they want to see themselves reflected in what we do here,” Dhaliwal said.

“It was concerning, when on the council floor, the debate is using some of the terminology that otherwise wouldn’t be allowed, but it was used, and that is concerning, that is just creating that divisions, sowing the seeds that, hey, us against them.”

Dhaliwal said what Calgary loses with the flag-raising ban is an opportunity for citizens to come together to learn more about one another.

“I’ve seen many times other Canadians, Calgarians taking part in them,” he said.

“I was just in an event few months ago (with the) Bangladesh community, Belize community, Bolivian community, it’s just them celebrating and showing to their kids that, yes, we are proud Canadians, but we are also like any other person who has come to this country, there’s generations who have contributed to the success of this city.”

Foreign flag raisings are driving hate: Mayor Farkas

When speaking with the media outside council chambers on Tuesday, Mayor Farkas, who was the co-sponsor of the flag policy motion, said that the adopted motion embraced the neutrality of the city hall space.

He said that it does not restrict the ability of different groups to come together, waving their country flags, demonstrating, protesting or associating.

“What this motion does do is it reinforces the fact that Calgary City Hall needs to be a safe, inclusive space for everybody,” Mayor Farkas said.

“It used to be a gesture of unity, the flying of the various foreign flags on the courtesy flagpole, but it’s become very obvious in recent months and years that these flags have tremendous symbolism, and the flying of a flag one way or another, does instill some sense of endorsement of the people who work here, as well as the City of Calgary.”

Mayor Farkas’s somewhat firebrand speech during Monday’s menorah lighting at city hall cast a harsher perspective on the flag-raising issue. (Video from Chabad Lubavitch Facebook page. Farkas’s speech begins at the 30-minute mark.)

“Just tonight and just tonight, thank you to Councillor Dan McLean and others. Your council has banned the flying of foreign flags, which have become symbols of hate and division,” he told the crowd.

Later, Farkas said that he will be bringing forward reforms targeting radicalization and hate-driven violence.  Further, he said education, intervention and accountability through work with the Calgary police to ensure presence, rapid response and prosecution of hate crimes would be a goal of the current city council.

“This is how we move from symbolism to substance, from reaction to prevention, and to all of my Jewish friends, you are not alone,” he said.

“We see you. We stand with you, and we will act tonight. We will act because tonight, as we light the menorah, we draw a line, a line that says hatred will be confronted, not accommodated, a line that says intimidation will be met with action, not excuses. A line that says, Jewish Calgarians will live openly, proudly and without fear.”