Armed police were deployed around Belfast City Hall in the early hours of Tuesday, 2 December 2025, following a council vote to raise the Palestinian flag, a move described by eyewitnesses as creating scenes of 'chaos'.
Late-Night Vote Sparks Immediate Action
The flag was hoisted shortly after midnight, coming just hours after a Sinn Fein motion was passed by 32 votes to 28 at a special council meeting on Monday evening. The motion mandated raising the flag on the next available day. This followed a previous, larger majority vote in November to fly the flag on 29 November for the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which was blocked after unionists initiated a legal 'call-in' mechanism.
Political Fury and Accusations Fly
The decision has ignited fierce political backlash. An Alliance Party amendment, proposing to illuminate City Hall in Palestinian colours in January instead of raising the flag, was soundly defeated by 49 votes to 11. Following the vote, unionist representatives expressed outrage and threatened legal action.
DUP group leader, Councillor Sarah Bunting, condemned the move as a "scandalous abuse of process," accusing Sinn Fein of railroading through a "deeply divisive" issue with no regard for other communities. She stated it would be seen as "deeply intimidating" by Belfast's small Jewish community and risked stoking antisemitism.
TUV Councillor Ron McDowell said the council had "disgraced itself," vowing that "every means at our disposal will be deployed to oppose this." He highlighted what he called hypocrisy, recalling that after the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023, nationalist and republican councillors had blocked efforts to light City Hall in the colours of the Israeli flag.
Sinn Fein Defends Solidarity Stance
In a statement, Sinn Fein defended the move, saying it had "secured agreement for the Palestinian flag to fly tomorrow at Belfast City Hall." The party added, "In the face of Israel’s barbaric and inhumane genocide, we must continue to do all we can to show solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza."
The situation remains tense, with the physical raising of the flag under police guard marking a new flashpoint in the ongoing political and cultural debates within Belfast City Council.
