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.
Three points:
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.
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.
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.