Ridouane Chahid, mayor of Evere, said he decided to pull up the Palestinian flag alongside the colors of Belgium and Europe following a request of support from the Belgian-Palestinian Association.

The mayor of a Brussels commune has decided to raise the Palestinian flag in front of the town hall in support of the Palestinian people, a gesture which didn’t get unanimous approval within the town council, Belgian media reported.

Ridouane Chahid, mayor of Evere, in the north of Brussels, said he decided to pull up the Palestinian flag alongside the colors of Belgium and Europe following a request of support from the Belgian-Palestinian Association.

“Let’s be clear, this flag is in support of the Palestinian people, nothing more, nothing less. There is no support for anything else, there is support for a people who are suffering, who are starving, who are being abandoned. It’s really to support those who have been massacred for several weeks, if not months,” said Ridouane Chahid.

‘’As we supported Ukraine when the time came and there was no debate”, he said. He added that he ‘’will not hesitate to raise the Israeli flag too the day when the ceasefire will be respected”.

But the mayor’s decision was  not unanimously supported by the municipal college, and according to Marc Uyttendaele, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, called it ‘’inappropriate.’’.

“A commune must be neutral in its appearance, and it’s clear that by taking a position in a major international political conflict, the commune of Evere may offend some of its inhabitants, its citizens, and that’s quite shocking”, he said. ‘’The apparent neutrality of public authorities is essential, because it’s a guarantee given to citizens, and here it’s not being respected,’’ he added.