A French court on Thursday ordered the mayor of Nice to remove Israeli flags from the city hall facade, ruling that their display constitutes a political statement rather than a neutral show of solidarity.
"Following the referral by private individuals, the interim relief judge of the Administrative Court of Nice suspended the mayor’s refusal to remove the Israeli flags hoisted on the town hall’s facade and ordered him to remove them within five days," the statement from the court said.
The court ruled that the display of the flag cannot be viewed solely as a "symbol of support for Israeli hostages held by Hamas" but also as "support for the Israeli state and thus as an expression of political opinion."
Following the ruling, Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, the second-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast, removed the flags he had been flying since the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, according to French daily Le Figaro.
