"There is still time to act": Saint-Nazaire elected officials want to raise the Palestinian flag at the town hall, the Socialist Party mayor refuses

For the second time in a few months, the left-wing elected representatives Ensemble Solidaires et Écologistes (Ensemble Solidaires and Ecologists) have asked the mayor of Saint-Nazaire , in a press release dated June 16, to raise the Palestinian flag over the pediment of the town hall. But to their great dismay, the socialist mayor, David Samzun, has refused any "media hype."

"The Saint-Nazaire Solidaires et Écologistes group of elected officials denounces the municipal majority's inaction and once again demands that the Palestinian flag be raised over the facade of the town hall." The Green elected officials criticize the mayor for his neutrality and "his lack of political commitment." According to them, "there is still time to act. To make our voices heard. To not let history judge our silence."

But, according to the mayor, the conditions are not met to grant this request." David Samzun explained that he had already expressed his solidarity and compassion for all the victims of this new episode of the conflict. He added: "We hope that one day the town halls of the French Republic will be able to peacefully welcome the flags of both states (Israel and Palestine). It is clear that this is not the case today."

In recent days, the prefectures and municipalities of several cities have been engaged in a sort of flag war. Those of Seine-Saint-Denis and Hauts-de-Seine have ordered the town halls of Saint-Denis and Gennevilliers to remove the Palestinian flags from the pediments of their respective town halls. In Nice , since October 7, the Israeli flag has been flying on the pediment of the town hall. On June 16, the prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes asked them to remove it. But Christian Estrosi, mayor of Horizons of Nice, refused.

In theory, since a decision by the Council of State in 2005, flying a foreign flag on the pediment of a town hall has been prohibited. Even then, the principle of neutrality was invoked. But in 2022, as a sign of support for Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia , the Ukrainian flag appeared in many French municipalities.

And in 2024, the administrative court ruled that the display of the Ukrainian flag on the pediment of the town hall of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) was intended "to symbolically express solidarity with a nation that was the victim of military aggression." The court concluded that this initiative "could therefore not be considered as symbolizing the assertion of the political opinions of its mayor."