The mood was celebratory on the rooftop of Toronto City Hall on Monday morning, as dozens gathered in the brisk weather to watch the Palestinian flag fly over the building for the first time.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, which petitioned for the move, said ahead of the flag-raising that it would mark a “symbolic show of solidarity” for Palestinians in Canada on the 37th anniversary of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence.
On the rooftop, supporters joined chants of “free free Palestine” and lined up to have their photo taken with the flag before it was raised on Monday morning, calling it a historic moment.
Below in Nathan Phillips Square, several dozen supporters also gathered to see the flag go up, while some pro-Israeli protesters also stood in protest.
One person was arrested at the square Monday morning for “assault with a weapon and [administering a] noxious substance,” Toronto police said in a social media post after the flag raising.
Investigators said in an email to CBC News later Monday afternoon that the demonstration was “related to the flag-raising,” and said the person sprayed something that “smelled terrible but thankfully was not an irritant” at other protesters.
No injuries have been reported, and police said further information would be provided in a news release.
ICJP lawyer Shane Martinez called the flag-raising “fantastic” once it was displayed at city hall.
“I’m very happy for the Palestinian community. This is something that was long overdue,” he said.
The flag-raising came after an Ontario court dismissed an injunction request this morning from a pro-Israel group, the Tafsik Organization, that argued the event endorses groups responsible for “inciting violence” against the Jewish community.
Martinez said his group learned of the injunction filed by Tafsik on Friday and spent the weekend preparing submissions to ensure the flag could be raised. He said the group’s demand for an injunction was without “any merit.”
“It was based on anti-Palestinian tropes, demonstrable falsehoods and really had a lack of any evidence whatsoever in support of contention that raising the flag would somehow do harm to the city of Toronto. What we know today from the celebration that we saw is that it’s actually done a lot of great for the city,” Martinez said.
Tafsik did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.
The flying of the Palestinian flag in Toronto follows moves from other cities including Mississauga, Ont., Brampton, Ont., and Calgary, which all flew the flag over the weekend.
Manitoba also flew the Palestinian flag outside its provincial legislature on Saturday.
The City of Toronto flag policy states that other countries’ flags can be flown at city hall on national days or for special anniversaries — and dozens of flags, including Israel’s, are flown every year.
Along with its close allies Australia and the United Kingdom, Canada officially recognized the State of Palestine in September.
The recognition came amid an international push to end the violence that began with a Hamas-led attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 others hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.
Since then, Palestinian health officials say more than 69,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas.
