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French Town Forced to Remove Israeli Flags, Mayor Replaces Them with Hostage Photos in Defiant Response
- Following an administrative court ruling upholding political neutrality in public institutions, the Israeli flags that had been displayed on Nice’s city hall facade were taken down under the direction of Mayor Christian Estrosi.
- The flags had been displayed since October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched attacks on Israel, and the court ordered their removal within five days to maintain public service neutrality.
- Estrosi characterized the flag display as a humanitarian act in support of hostages held by Hamas and French detainees in Iran, while condemning La France Insoumise for making the Israeli flag a focal point of criticism amid increasing antisemitic incidents.
- Estrosi expressed his acceptance of the court’s ruling but rejected any comparison between an Islamist terrorist organization and a humanitarian gesture, affirming his commitment to combating antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
- After removing the Israeli flags, Estrosi substituted them with photographs depicting individuals held captive by Hamas in Gaza alongside two French nationals imprisoned in Iran, reflecting the ongoing political sensitivities and the layered symbolism involved in Nice.
27 Articles
27 Articles
French court orders Nice municipality to remove Israeli flags
A French court on Thursday ordered the mayor of Nice to remove Israeli flags from the city hall's facade, ruling that the gesture was a political statement that contradicted the principle of neutrality in public services. The Administrative Court of Nice said that displaying the flag cannot be seen only as a "symbol of support for Israeli [captives] held by Hamas", but also as "support for the Israeli state and thus as an expression of political…
French Town Forced to Remove Israeli Flags, Mayor Replaces Them with Hostage Photos in Defiant Response
FRANCE – A town in southern France was ordered by an administrative court to take down Israeli flags displayed at its town hall, sparking a strong response from the mayor. Following the court’s decision, Mayor Christian Estrosi of Nice removed the flags but replaced them with images of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as […]
There are no more Israeli flags on the front line of the town hall of Nice, in south-eastern France. Administrative justice has asked the mayor, Christian Estrosi, to withdraw them, Thursday, June 26th. These flags have been pavoising the town hall since Hamas' attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the anger of pro-Palestinian activists, at the origin of the legal action.
The City Councillor Daniele Nahum (Action): The Municipality must take initiatives against anti-Semitism. The indignation of politics, from right to left
The administrative tribunal acknowledged that the mayor, Christian Estrosi, intended to express "support" to the Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. But according to the court, the evolution of the conflict means that this bulwark "must be seen as support for the Israeli state and therefore as the demand for a political opinion".
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