The Palestinian flag flown at the Providence City Hall

“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..."

Standing on the city hall steps, Providence City Council President Rachel Miller struggled to be heard over the cacophony and fury produced by the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI), a group of Jewish and apocalyptic Christian Zionists doing their best to disrupt the ceremonial raising of the Palestinian flag.

“Today, we are raising a flag in honor of the Palestinian-American community, as this city does, and as we raised an Israeli flag several weeks ag,o and as we will stand here and raise a Pride Flag in several weeks.

“We do this to honor the diverse immigrants and cultural [...] We do this to send a strong message: We see you, we honor you, we honor your experience, and you are welcome here.”

Throughout her brief speech and the speeches of every other ceremony participant, the protesters screamed, chanted, blared sirens, played music, and called the Palestinian Americans and their supporters “terrorists,” “animals,” and worse. The number of protesters was small compared to the crowd present to celebrate the flag raising.

The only thing that stopped the protesters from taking over the stage was the presence of at least a dozen Providence Police Officers. Even with the police presence, protesters occasionally got through or around the line and attempted to take the stage or block the media’s cameras.

Here’s the video:

The din of the protest was omnipresent, whether the person speaking during the ceremony was a Palestinian elder, a Jewish Rabbi, or a descendant telling the story of their grandparents and family members escaping and surviving the Holocaust.

The day chosen to raise the flag, May 15, is known as Nakba Day in the Palestinian community and commemorates the Palestinian people’s ongoing struggle. As noted by the Council President, Providence City Hall has flown many different national flags throughout the year at the request of Providence residents. The City Hall has recently flown the flags of Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, and Israel.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley sided with RICI and Providence Republican Party leadership in his statement, denouncing “any actions and rhetoric designed to sow the seeds of hatred and division.”

“...yesterday, the Providence City Council fanned these flames by flying the Palestinian flag in its chambers and inviting our community to a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall... I want to be clear that my office does not have the authority to prevent a separate, independent branch of government from expressing differing views, just as I did not consult with them two weeks ago when I raised the Israeli flag to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut. I have worked hard to ensure our local Jewish community feels safe and welcomed, and I am disappointed that the City Council would use their position of leadership to further ignite tensions in our city.

“I was especially disheartened to learn that the City Council chose to fly this flag in City Hall - for the first time in our city’s history - on the day I returned from a trip to Israel with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. This trip was particularly meaningful to me, as it was my first time visiting Israel as a Jew. Over the past week, I had the opportunity to meet with many Israelis and hear their firsthand experiences with the war - the people they have lost and the communities that have been destroyed. And throughout these conversations, there was one consistent theme - a theme central to their identity as Israelis and carried in the very name of their national anthem: Hope. Every person I spoke with, through pain and loss, expressed hope for peace and a shared desire for open dialogue, common ground, and an end to the suffering for all.”

It was shocking to hear the Mayor suggest that he would have prevented the flag-raising ceremony if it were within his power. Freedom of expression, especially political expression, is a fundamental American value.

Milo Giovanniello of the organization Jewish Voice for Peace was critical of the Mayor:

“Many Providence community members who are leading the protests against the genocide in Palestine are also leaders in Providence’s Jewish community. How can [Mayor] Smiley claim to speak for us? Mayor Smiley’s violently racist attempts to erase the Palestinian people do not speak for Rhode Island’s Jewish community.

“[Mayor] Smiley condemns the city council for raising the flag at the request of the Rhode Island community, but he admitted that he did not consult anybody when he raised the pro-genocide Israeli flag last week in his horrifying personal celebration of the tragic anniversary of the Israeli colonization of the Palestinian people. If Smiley had consulted his Jewish constituents or any other constituents, he would’ve heard resounding opposition to the Israeli flag. Smiley claims that raising the Palestinian flag is ‘using strife as a tool to instigate conflict,’ yet the Mayor himself took the unilateral decision to raise the flag of Israel, an entity which every international human rights body has confirmed is committing genocide as we speak. That’s not only ‘instigat[ing] conflict,’ it’s actively supporting genocide.”

“We stand here today proud of this flag," said Farah, a Muslim student organizer who emceed the ceremony. "Proud that we have our humanity intact and are fighting for justice... The Mayor will never understand this sentiment because he’s so loaded up with AIPAC money that he can’t stand against genocide.”