Rumor About Palestine Flag Raising In West Orange Is Untrue: Advocates

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A picture is worth a thousand words – but not all of them are true, a pro-Palestine group in West Orange says.

In January, more than 200 people gathered in front of Town Hall to wave Palestinian flags, dance and enjoy food together. Organizers said the event was a “celebration of culture and resilience” – not a protest.

A town-sanctioned ceremony was previously scheduled to take place, but officials canceled it due to “unforeseen challenges.” See Related: West Orange Mayor Cancels Palestine Flag Raising, Critics Cry Foul

After the event, organizers shared several photos taken during the celebration, including pictures of attendees waving long, hand-held flags. But one of the photos sparked some rumors that a Palestinian flag was raised on the town’s flagpole – without permission from municipal officials.

It’s not true, according to West Orange for Humanity, an advocacy group that helped to spearhead the Jan. 5 event.

Reaching out to Patch, the group shared screenshots of social media posts referencing the alleged flag-raising. One commenter highlighted a photo of the event that – on first glance – apparently shows a Palestinian flag attached to the town’s pole (see below).

The allegation that a Palestinian flag was flown on municipal property without permission was brought up again at the town council meeting on Jan. 17 (watch the video here).

During the meeting, councilwoman Susan Scarpa read a letter from an unnamed constituent, which blasted council members Bill Rutherford and Asmeret Ghebremicael for attending the event.

“I saw the warm fuzzy pictures that [were] shared with the media,” the letter stated. “You seem to forget the ones that said ‘Ceasefire Now’ and ‘Israel Is Committing Genocide’ – and the Palestinian flag at half-mast on the town flagpole.”

But according to West Orange for Humanity, no Palestinian flag was ever raised on the town’s pole during the celebration.

The group shared several photos of the same flag taken from different angles. Those photos show an attendee holding it aloft on a hand-held pole (see below).

“Everyone who was at the event can also verify that no flags were attached to the flagpole at any time during the event,” the group attested.

Patch reached out to Scarpa for comment on West Orange for Humanity’s photos. We will update this article with any reply we receive.

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