A Massachusetts town has raised the Palestinian flag in its town common despite outrage from local residents.
Police in North Andover, about 30 miles north of Boston, have already been forced to respond several times after attempts were apparently made to pull the flag down since it was hoisted Tuesday morning.
The black, white, green, and red flag will be flown over the town until Dec. 7 after local officials approved a college student’s bid to fly it. The student, Selma Khayal, petitioned to fly the flag in mid-October, after the town had flown the Israeli flag following Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack.
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The petition was unanimously approved by the town’s Select Board late Monday after a tense meeting at North Andover High School, where things got so heated that some visitors were ejected for shouting, according to local reports.
“Tear it down and burn it,” one man was quoted as telling WCVB.
North Andover police officers have been inundated with complaints over the flag, and officers had to knot the rope at the top of the flag so no one could remove it. Officers also reportedly took down an “offensive” sign that was erected near the flag and placed a permit showing the flag was approved in its place.
“Why is your town flying the Palestinian flag in the town common?” angry commenters wrote on the police department’s Facebook page Wednesday.
“You are spitting in the face of Jews!” another person complained.
Pro-Palestinian residents have stressed that the flag is not representative of Hamas or of terrorists, and it is not intended to detract from the plight of Israelis.
“This is a time of grief and solidarity with the Palestinian people, and it’s taking back the narrative because this flag represents its people, it represents a culture. It is not a terrorist flag, and we will not let it be misconstrued that way,” Jenna Khayal told WCVB.
“For us in the Jewish community, the Palestinian flag, unfortunately, represents Hamas. It represents hatred, terrorism, antisemitism because Hamas is the elected party,” Rabbi Idan Irelander said.
Some other residents appeared to simply be sick of all the fighting.
“A lot of tension, a lot of opposition,” Salma Boulal, an attendee at Monday’s meeting, told Boston 25 News. “If Israel gets their flag to fly in the North Andover common, then Palestinians deserve that same right.”
