Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema reports that there is no ban on carrying the Israeli flag during the Pride Walk organized by Queer Amsterdam on July 20. "The Pride Walk is a manifestation that falls under the right to demonstrate. However, freedom to demonstrate does not give the right to impose censorship on demonstrators. An organization can, therefore, not forbid people who want to participate to express themselves. It is unacceptable that people who want to carry a flag should not be allowed to do so," said the mayor.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema reports that there is no ban on carrying the Israeli flag during the Pride Walk organized by Queer Amsterdam on July 20. “The Pride Walk is a manifestation that falls under the right to demonstrate. However, freedom to demonstrate does not give the right to impose censorship on demonstrators. An organization can, therefore, not forbid people who want to participate to express themselves. It is unacceptable that people who want to carry a flag should not be allowed to do so,” said the mayor.

The foundation Queer Amsterdam announced on Instagram on Thursday that Israeli flags are not “allowed” at the Pride Walk through the center of Amsterdam. In response to questions about the flag ban, a spokesperson for the foundation referred AT5 to the website, which states that “no form of Zionism is tolerated.” VVD councilor Daan Wijnants has indicated that he wants to ask council questions in response to the call.

  • Stern
    31•4 months ago

    ahh yes israel, which famously bans gay marriage. perfect for a pride parade

    • @[email protected]
      25•4 months ago

      Killing and torturing gay and trans Palestinians is more likely the reason why Israel isn’t very popular in the queer community.

      • @[email protected]
        19•4 months ago

        gay and trans Palestinians

        Hot take: I don’t believe Gaza is progressive enough to have a large population of openly gay or trans people.

        Not sure why you’re making this a LGBTQ thing anyways, mistreating POWs and seemingly intentionally maximizing civilian losses should be bad enough by themselves.

        [Edit: formatting]

        • @[email protected]
          25•4 months ago

          Three points:

          1. Palestine is not as backwards as Westerners think and just assuming that gay people do not exist there openly without any actual proof is orientalist. I personally know openly queer Palestinians from Gaza.

          2. The fact that not all queer people are out openly does not mean they don’t exist and it does not mean that they aren’t being targeted by Israel. IDF soldiers are targeting queer Palestinians and torturing them in heinous ways because they are queer.

          3. The point of Israel killing and targeting queer people in their war is made to connect it to the queer struggle as it’s a clear example of intersectionality. Pride is for the queers worldwide, that includes Palestinian queers who are currently struggling the hardest.

        • @[email protected]English
          16•4 months ago

          Being gay or trans is not dependent on being out or not.

          And focusing on the LGBTQ aspect of Israels current onslaught is relevant to the extent that Israel actively propagandizes “spreading” gay rights in Gaza, while at the same time murdering LGBTQ individuals indiscriminately. The fact that pink washing is a strategy used to justify genocide makes it that much more important to reject this during pride.

          • @[email protected]
            0•4 months ago

            Is the “Palestinian Authority police” Israeli? Because from the article it doesn’t sound like it - neither does the name tbh.

            From the article (emphasis mine)

            […] local Palestinian Authority police are aware and keep files on him and other homosexuals, blackmailing them into working as spies and informants

            • @[email protected]OP
              12•4 months ago

              Israel surveils and blackmails gay Palestinians to make them informants

              Haaretz has a story up on 43 reservists in Israeli intelligence who are refusing to serve because of the “political persecution” of Palestinians.

              “No boundaries were set for us, for both passive activities such as gathering intelligence, and for active initiatives that had an impact on people’s lives. If anyone interests us, we’d collect information on his or her economic situation and mental state. Then we would plan how we can perform an operation around this individual, in order to turn them into a collaborator or something of the sort….”

              Any information that might enable extortion of an individual is considered relevant information. Whether said individual is of a certain sexual orientation, cheating on his wife, or in need of treatment in Israel or the West Bank – he is a target for blackmail.

              The PA is a front for Israel. Maybe this is not well known. They PA arrests Palestinian resistance fighters and hand them over to Israel as well.

          • FennekEnglish
            -9•4 months ago

            You clearly forgot to say “by palestinian Authorities” like your linked article states. Oh wait, this would make palestinian authorities undermined by Hamas look bad, too. This must be why you left it out intentionally.

      • Stern
        5•4 months ago

        I don’t think the LGBT part is why the Israelis are killing and torturing them though.