Renfrewshire Council flies Palestinian flag over its Paisley headquarters

The Palestinian flag is now flying over Renfrewshire House as local campaigners say they “will do all they can” to oppose the slaughter of innocent civilians in Gaza.

The flag was formally erected in Paisley yesterday as members of Paisley 4 Palestine looked on.

The non-political group - which has long called for halt to the violence in Gaza – successfully lobbied elected representatives who last month went on to pass a motion at Renfrewshire Council allowing the flag to be flown at local government buildings.

The successful motion agreed the flag would be flown bimonthly alongside the Ukrainian flag to show solidarity with the plight of innocent civilians in both countries.

Speaking to the Paisley Daily Express as the conflict in Gaza enters its tenth month, John Kelly of Paisley 4 Palestine said the actions of individuals and campaigners across the globe can make a difference.

He said: “The Palestinian people need all the help they can get so good for the council in Paisley and good for Paolo Nutini in raising funds for Gaza through his upcoming gig in the town hall.

“These actions show that we can all do something.

“One of our group members recently chained himself to goalposts at Hampden, delaying an international football match against Israel [and raising awareness of our cause].

“We would urge everyone to boycott Israeli goods, to keep talking about Palestine, and we call on our new MPs to call for the recognition of Palestine as a state, just keep talking about Palestine!”

More than 38,000 Gazans have died since Israel began its military offensive, most are women and children.

On Saturday, 16 people were killed when the Israeli Defence Forces bombed a UN-run school which was sheltering hundreds of civilians.

The IDF said it was sheltering Hamas fighters - a claim the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said was “very, very serious” and should be investigated.

John added: “With the Israeli army expanding its military operations in Gaza City, civilians continue to be trapped amid bombing and a ground incursion, many seeking shelter around the UNRWA headquarters thinking that this may provide some safety.

“Sadly, as we have seen throughout the attacks across Gaza, the Israeli forces show no sign of taking account of the civilian population.

“It is important that people across the world call out these attacks for what they are, ethnic cleansing and genocide, and we oppose this in any way we can.”

Renfrewshire Council has also raised the Palestinian flag at its offices in Johnstone and in Renfrew.

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