Bradley explains Palestinian flag flap
Chair says Israeli flag was flown in solidarity with other countries following an attack
As supporters of Palestinians besieged in Gaza continue to protest what they believe is a double standard at Niagara Region, Chair Jim Bradley has offered his explanation for having raised the Israeli flag at the municipality’s headquarters last fall.
During Thursday’s council meeting, Bradley said he requested staff fly the flag and change the lighting on the Region’s Niagara sign to Israel’s colours in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli citizens.
Council has since turned down requests to do the same in support of Palestinian residents of Niagara. A Region bylaw only allows flags of nation-states formally recognized by Ottawa to be raised outside its Thorold administration building.
Bradley said decisions were taken around the same time to illuminate the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, the White House and Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House and Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, among other landmarks, in support of Israeli civilians. He also drew parallels with 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Bradley said the situation changed dramatically in the following weeks.
“There are military exercises taking place,” Bradley said. “That’s what we have going on now. Hamas is still firing rockets into Israel. Hezbollah is still calling for firing rockets into Israel. The Houthi rebels are attacking commercial traffic along the Red Sea, and Israel embarked upon a war in Gaza, where there are many people affected by that. That’s a war action on their part. Mine was strictly to do with a with a terrorist attack that took place.”
The agenda item ostensibly up for discussion Thursday were the minutes of the corporate services committee, which requested a staff report on the Region’s flag-raising and sign-lighting policy in the wake
A Region bylaw only allows flags of nation-states formally recognized by Ottawa to be raised outside its Thorold administration building
of widespread condemnation from Niagara supporters of Palestinians in Gaza.
Munajat Najmudin of Niagara Falls addressed council as one of three citizen delegates, two of whom charged that the failure to light the building red, black and green was the result of antiPalestinian racism.
“Our chair was immediately able to recognize and empathize with the Israelis in our community who have suffered in this conflict, but for the Palestinians, month after month after month, utter silence,” Najmudin said. “Every day, Palestinians in Niagara open their phones and their messaging apps and find out directly from friends and family that their loved ones in Gaza have died.”
Najmudin said council’s constituents and neighbours suffer multi-level trauma over the death and destruction in Gaza and feel helpless as they witness council’s silence.
“This genocide will end at some point, either because a moral nation will finally intervene or because there will be no one left to kill,” Najmudin said, fighting back tears. “Years will go by, and your children and grandchildren will read about this after the academics have chewed it up and lamented its cruel and unnecessary tragedy. They will say you were in politics then; what did you do?
“If the least you can say is that I raised the flag, I changed the colours on letters outside the building I work — that’s something.”
Thursday’s meeting ended with St. Catharines Coun. Haley Batemann demanding Bradley write a letter of apology to the delegates after Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop commented on a “disrespectful” staccato of loud bangs created by the spring-loaded gallery seats closing as some in the gallery stood for a moment of silence.
“I heard a lot of noise behind me — that was the essence of my comment,” Redekop said. “I don’t know what was going on back there. Frankly, I didn’t care, but I was silent except for that comment. It’s unfortunate if a councillor takes exception to that.”
Bradley said no to the request for the apology, saying it wasn’t the chair’s place to apologize on behalf of a councillor.
Bateman put forth the original motion during the Jan. 25 council meeting calling on council to support a ceasefire and light the sign. The motion also called on the federal government to remove the cap on the number of Palestinians seeking refuge in Canada and provide support similar to that of those who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Council removed it from the agenda, voting 26-2 for a motion that said, “This matter does not pertain to any area of Niagara Region’s business or mandate and, regardless of the outcome, the result would be division within our community.”