French Town Halls Told to Remove Palestinian Flags Raised After Macron’s Recognition of Palestinian State

Earlier this week, after President Emmanuel Macron officially recognised Palestinian statehood, dozens of town halls across France raised the Palestinian flag in a symbolic show of support. This act, however, defied instructions from the interior ministry, which had explicitly ordered local authorities not to fly the flag on public buildings.
By Wednesday, legal actions had already begun in several regions, leading some municipalities to remove the flags. A number of mayors argued that these actions conflicted with the spirit of Macron’s announcement and undermined the message of solidarity.

“For me it’s a complete misunderstanding,” said Raphael Adam, mayor of Nanterre, a suburb west of Paris.
“You can’t have a government asking its representatives to oppose raising a flag at the same time it’s recognising the state.”

Nanterre held a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, but by the next day, an administrative court ruled in favour of the prefect’s order to take it down, citing violation of official directives.
Under French law, public buildings are not to be used to express political, religious, or philosophical stances. However, several local officials pointed to what they consider inconsistent enforcement of that principle—particularly the previous display of Ukrainian flags on public landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower.

“When we raised a Ukrainian flag, no one told us anything!”

said Gilles Poux, mayor of La Courneuve, who confirmed he would remove the Palestinian flag on Tuesday night. His administration had previously been fined for a similar flag display.

“Speaking of neutrality is hypocritical. Liberty, equality, fraternity: there’s nothing neutral about these values,” he added.

When questioned about this apparent double standard, the interior ministry explained that the Gaza conflict has led to public demonstrations and heightened tensions in France, warning that the display of Palestinian flags could potentially spark unrest.
As of Tuesday night, according to the ministry, 86 town halls across the country had displayed the Palestinian flag. Authorities had already instructed regional representatives to block such actions, citing a breach of France’s principle of neutrality.
Anne Tuaillon, head of the France Palestine Solidarity Association, criticised the government’s stance, saying there was no place for neutrality “in a situation of oppression”, referring to Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza following the 2023 Hamas attacks.
Legal expert Lionel Crusoe also questioned the ministry’s position, arguing that solidarity with people under attack should not be incompatible with France’s neutrality policies.

“This neutrality principle for public services does not prevent a municipality from being able to occasionally show solidarity towards a people who are the target of a military aggression, or a terrorist attack, for example,” he said.