“We stand here today proud of this flag," said Farah, a Muslim student organizer. "Proud that we have our humanity intact and are fighting for justice..."
flags are intrinsically divisive, indeed they are an instrument of battlefield wars to help identify your forces.
That said, I have no problem with city hall honoring flags upon request including Palestine, as has been done for Israel, Dominican Republic, Portugal.. and Pride too... However, what if some groups requested a Russian flag? A Klu Kux Klan banner?
I do have a problem with the City Council singling out a Palestinian flag as a one-off. Why? Palestinian government of Gaza, Hamas, is outright fascist - no elections, suppression of all opposition including the Palestinian Authority, no free press, glorification of violence, no rights for gays, war crimes including hostage taking.. why should they get this honor?
I want to see a ceasefire, hostage return, much aid to flow to Gaza but I can understand Jewish resistance to such all out support for Palestine, after all Jews are not allowed to live anywhere in the Arab world (this included Jerusalem, Hebron etc when under Arab control) and few in Israel doubt Hamas would eliminate the Jews in all of Palestine if they could. The Netanyahu coalition has a similar goal in reverse, ugh.
Finally, I think the peace movement missed an opportunity to try to bring people together by demonstrating with both Palestinian and Israeli flags. Bringing people together and seeking compromise and reconciliation is the only way to actually improve lives. Sadly, it seems many zealots on both sides seem less interested in that than in just demonizing the other side
Excellent comment--a reasonable attempt, given space limits, at addressing a complicated and generally all-around horrifying situation in some kind of context with some kind of balance. You began what I wasn't even able to start. I hope a conversation will continue.
On flags in general: my position is that no government building should show any flags but those representing the government--in this case the Providence flag (if it has one), the RI flag, and the US flag. As you pointed out, Barry, where does it stop? A Ku Klux Klan banner? A Trump Enterprises flag? (When I brought this up regarding rainbow flags, my daughter disagreed with me so vehemently she refused to discuss it. No rainbow flags, either.)
Bless all the committed activists who have been working hard to fight and protest this genocide funded with our stolen tax dollars while our government works hard to cover it up, deny it, and send more money to bomb children sleeping in tents and destroy hospitals.
The Christian Right wing supporters of Israel are supporters because they believe that World War 3 will start in the middle east, create Armageddon and that it will bring back Jesus. That is truly a sick reason to support genocide.
Smiley’s comment is so tone deaf. So one sided. So blind. Like no one else’s perspective is valid. One might call him a Smiley Supremacist. A nod to Michael Harriot of Contraband Camp (on Substack).
The mayor has made the decision to buy the studied Zionist posture of equivalency. There is no equivalency. 54,000 Palestinians killed including many children vs. about 1,200 Israelis killed. Any the Palestinians are terrorists. If that is true then the cult of Netanyahu is simply pure evil.
flags are intrinsically divisive, indeed they are an instrument of battlefield wars to help identify your forces.
That said, I have no problem with city hall honoring flags upon request including Palestine, as has been done for Israel, Dominican Republic, Portugal.. and Pride too... However, what if some groups requested a Russian flag? A Klu Kux Klan banner?
I do have a problem with the City Council singling out a Palestinian flag as a one-off. Why? Palestinian government of Gaza, Hamas, is outright fascist - no elections, suppression of all opposition including the Palestinian Authority, no free press, glorification of violence, no rights for gays, war crimes including hostage taking.. why should they get this honor?
I want to see a ceasefire, hostage return, much aid to flow to Gaza but I can understand Jewish resistance to such all out support for Palestine, after all Jews are not allowed to live anywhere in the Arab world (this included Jerusalem, Hebron etc when under Arab control) and few in Israel doubt Hamas would eliminate the Jews in all of Palestine if they could. The Netanyahu coalition has a similar goal in reverse, ugh.
Finally, I think the peace movement missed an opportunity to try to bring people together by demonstrating with both Palestinian and Israeli flags. Bringing people together and seeking compromise and reconciliation is the only way to actually improve lives. Sadly, it seems many zealots on both sides seem less interested in that than in just demonizing the other side
Excellent comment--a reasonable attempt, given space limits, at addressing a complicated and generally all-around horrifying situation in some kind of context with some kind of balance. You began what I wasn't even able to start. I hope a conversation will continue.
On flags in general: my position is that no government building should show any flags but those representing the government--in this case the Providence flag (if it has one), the RI flag, and the US flag. As you pointed out, Barry, where does it stop? A Ku Klux Klan banner? A Trump Enterprises flag? (When I brought this up regarding rainbow flags, my daughter disagreed with me so vehemently she refused to discuss it. No rainbow flags, either.)
Jane- I am with you. All flags or no flags. Or only American flags in /on government buildings.
Bless all the committed activists who have been working hard to fight and protest this genocide funded with our stolen tax dollars while our government works hard to cover it up, deny it, and send more money to bomb children sleeping in tents and destroy hospitals.
The Christian Right wing supporters of Israel are supporters because they believe that World War 3 will start in the middle east, create Armageddon and that it will bring back Jesus. That is truly a sick reason to support genocide.
Smiley’s comment is so tone deaf. So one sided. So blind. Like no one else’s perspective is valid. One might call him a Smiley Supremacist. A nod to Michael Harriot of Contraband Camp (on Substack).
The mayor has made the decision to buy the studied Zionist posture of equivalency. There is no equivalency. 54,000 Palestinians killed including many children vs. about 1,200 Israelis killed. Any the Palestinians are terrorists. If that is true then the cult of Netanyahu is simply pure evil.