Toronto flies Palestinian flag after Canada’s recognition, sparking protest and one arrest during symbolic solidarity ceremony.
TORONTO: The Palestinian flag was raised outside Toronto City Hall for the first time on Monday.
This historic moment followed Canada’s federal recognition of Palestine as a state in September.
Canada joined other Western powers including Britain and France in recognising Palestine during the UN General Assembly.
The move had drawn strong criticism from both Israel and the United States.
A civil society group successfully petitioned for the flag-raising ceremony.
The International Center of Justice for Palestinians called it “a symbolic show of solidarity.”
Toronto’s municipal government approved the request based on Ottawa’s official recognition.
The city stated the flag qualifies following Canada’s recognition “of the State of Palestine on September 21, 2025.”
Officials confirmed the flag would be taken down later on Monday.
Multiple efforts were made to stop the ceremony from taking place.
Toronto city council member James Pasternak had urged the city to reverse the decision last week.
He described the flag-raising as “divisive and unjustified.”
Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith warned the decision would cause division and tension.
Hundreds of people attended the event in downtown Toronto amid isolated pro-Israeli protests.
Police confirmed one arrest for assault during the ceremony but provided no details about the accused. – AFP
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