Calgary mayor looks to ban national flags at city hall; Palestinian group calls timing 'very hurtful'

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas says he's looking to put an end to the raising of national flags at city hall as a community association prepares to raise the Palestinian flag there for the first time.

Farkas wrote in a statement on X on Thursday that Calgary's flag policy has long allowed for any country recognized by Canada to have its flag flown at city hall on its national day.

"However, over the past several days, Calgarians from many communities have reached out with serious concerns about how national flag-raisings, of any country, can unintentionally heighten tensions here at home," Farkas wrote.

"These events, even when well-intentioned, increasingly risk becoming flashpoints for conflict and for the alarming rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia we are seeing in our city."

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