Tel Aviv municipality hoists Sudanese, Eritrean flags
Flags put up as part of upcoming lights festival to connect the neighborhood's past with its multi-cultural present, but city officials quickly order flags' removal after residents of south Tel Aviv complain.
Residents of the south Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Sha'anan were surprised to see a municipal vehicle hanging Eritrean and Sudanese flags Tuesday night as part of a festival.
The flags were removed shortly thereafter following residents' complaints. A city official admitted: "We made a mistake; we have rethought our approach taking into consideration the sensitivities of the residents."
The flags were hoisted as part of the upcoming fourth annual lights festival the city is hosting. The goal is to connect the neighborhood's past with its multi-cultural present. The festival includes art exhibits, films and live performances of African music.
"The city was quick to remove the flags. They realized they had made a mistake, because we attacked them on all fronts," said Sheffi Paz, one of the leaders of the south Tel Aviv residents' protest against the illegal African migrants living in their area.
"I told them in no uncertain terms: either you remove the flags, or we will do so ourselves and put Israeli flags in their place. The city told me they erred. I don’t understand why they did not think things through to begin with," she added.
Out of some 40 flags that were hung in the neighborhood, the flags of China and the Philippines were hoisted, alongside Eritrean and Sudanese flags, to represent the expatriate workers living in the neighborhood, said a city official.
After the residents' complained, city officials decided there would be no national flags flown, only flags of the municipality.
