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Belfast City Hall will fly the Palestinian flag at the end of this month after a vote by Belfast councillors. At the monthly meeting of the full Belfast City Council on Monday evening, a majority of elected representatives approved a Sinn Féin proposal to erect the national flag of Palestine above City Hall on November 29, the International Day for Solidarity with the People of Palestine. Sinn Féin Councillor Ryan Murphy made the proposal under an item from the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, in which it was agreed to fly the Human Rights Day flag and the United Nations flag from the City Hall on December 10, which is Human Rights Day. READ MORE: Paul Givan: Belfast Council votes no confidence in Education Minister after parties storm out during meeting READ MORE: Fears over Belfast city centre violence amid rising youth gang incidents, assaults and drug crimes He said celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 “was particularly important when we see what is unfolding daily in terms of human rights abuses and genocide in Palestine". He said: “We have a so-called ceasefire where we have over 230 Palestinian people killed. Francesa Albanese, the UN Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories summed it up best when she said what the ceasefire means to the Israelis is 'you cease, and we keep firing'. “With that still taking place, I have had people contacting me, wondering what they can do to get involved in efforts to try and highlight those ongoing human rights abuses, and to try and support the people of Palestine in whatever way they can. That includes people attending demonstrations and protests, people fundraising locally in my own area.” He added: “It is also about what we do in here. One of the reasons we are flying those flags on December 10 for human rights, is because we can’t light City Hall up due to the Christmas lights. So I would like to propose on November 29, which is the International Day for Solidarity with the People of Palestine, that Belfast City Hall will have the national flag of Palestine erected above the building.” A vote on the Sinn Féin proposal saw 41 in favour from Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party and People Before Profit, and 15 against from the DUP , the UUP and the TUV. The proposal was carried. For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter
