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Jim Rodgers, a UUP councillor for the last 33 years, said that it is a sign that the council is going "from bad to worse". Meanwhile the DUP group leader on the council, Sarah Bunting, said it was a part of a drive to make the council a “mouthpiece for extremism”. After the vote at a meeting of the full council last night, the flag will now fly over Belfast City Hall on November 29 to mark the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The motion was proposed by Sinn Fein and backed by the SDLP, Alliance Party, Green Party, and People Before Profit (41 votes in favour), with all unionists present voting against (15). TUV councillor Ron McDowell, the party's deputy leader, said that the move is "divisive" and that he hopes to be able to "call in" the decision and have it stopped. Councillor Rodgers told the News Letter that the move "sends out the wrong message, but being a democrat you have to abide by the vote". However, he added he has been "inundated" with complaints from people who "just think it is unbelievable". "They're just totally and utterly disgusted, and wanting to know what is going on here in regards to their lovely city," he said. "Right across the community, people just can't believe [it], knowing what has been going on in the country we're talking about. It's just horrendous." As to his own objections to flying the flag, he said: "In regard to what it stands for, I was unhappy about it." What does it stand for to him? "I'm not even going to go into that. But it's a point that the people who sent me e-mails, made phone calls to me, sent text messages, they have just expressed their utter disgust and want to know what the capital city of Northern Ireland has come to." He also said the council "seems to be going from bad to worse," adding: "I'm in the council 33 years, and it's fast going downhill." DUP group leader Sarah Bunting told the News Letter: “The same parties who talked about neutral working environments when it came to the flying of the Union flag now are happy to hoist the Palestinian flag for purely political reasons. “As these parties attempt to make Belfast City Council a mouthpiece for extremism, the only councillors to vote against this were from the DUP and UUP. “This has exposed the reality of Belfast City Council, not just for unionists but for anyone who doesn’t believe that local government should be used as a megaphone for far-left agitators. "In Sinn Fein’s drive not to be outdone by People Before Profit they can always rely on their willing helpers in the SDLP and Alliance Party to row in behind them.” Last night’s meeting was marked by a walk-out by republicans and nationalists when an attempt to have education minister Paul Givan's recent trip to Israel put on the agenda failed. And councillor McDowell himself walked out ahead of the vote on the Palestine flag, in protest at that item being allowed to proceed. He thinks a pathway exists however to block the move on November 29. He said that it could be stopped if 15 councillors put their names to a call-in motion based on Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which obliges authorities to consider the impact of their policies on "good relations". There are 17 unionist councillors in total on the council. "I'd be optimistic that should unionism agree, we'd be able to get it stopped," he said. "I perceive this is bad for good relations in the city. I don't believe the motivations behind it are with concern for Palestinians, and I believe a lot of the narrative in the city at the minute is anti-semitic." On October 7, 2023, Palestinian attackers killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, of whom over 800 were civilians. In response, the Israeli assault on Gaza has killed upwards of 68,000 people according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health (run by Hamas) – a figure which is cited by the UN. Over 900 Israeli soldiers have also been killed as part of Gaza operations.
