Antwerp’s decision to keep the Israeli flag flying on city hall has triggered a major political and public backlash in Belgium. The flag, part of the city’s summer protocol, has become the focus of weekly protests, vandalism, coalition tensions and explicit threats against Mayor Els Van Doesburg and her young son.
Every summer, from June 15 to September 15, Antwerp flies nearly 100 flags at the historic Schoon Verdiep façade in Grote Markt. This year, the Israeli flag was raised alongside 93 others because Belgium maintains formal diplomatic ties with Israel and the city says it is following objective protocol. But as the war in Gaza continues, the flag’s presence has become deeply divisive.
Opponents say the city should have removed it. Protesters and residents argue that the decision amounts to political legitimization and ignores moral considerations. “The flag represents genocide,” some critics say, while resident Erwin Van de Velde complained that if the Russian flag could be removed over the war in Ukraine, Israel’s should be removed too. Another resident, Sven Dierickx, said, “Protocol without a moral compass is just administrative cowardice.” The anger has spilled into the streets, where the “Antwerp Coalition for Palestine” holds weekly demonstrations, some ending in arrests, and the city hall façade has been covered with stickers and chalk slogans. A large graffiti message also appeared above the busy Kennedy Tunnel on the highway toward Ghent, reading, “Remove this flag,” next to a crossed-out Israeli flag.
Van Doesburg, from the conservative N-VA party, says the city is simply applying neutral rules and that the flag does not signal support for the Israeli government. She said Antwerp, with more than 173 nationalities, cannot govern by emotion. But she also revealed that she and her son receive daily death threats and messages saying people should burn down her house. She blamed left-wing politicians for fueling the hostility by repeatedly labeling her a “genocide lover.”
The controversy has now split the city’s governing coalition. The socialist Vooruit party, the main partner of N-VA, has broken ranks and sided with protesters, arguing the city should promote unity. Council member Kathleen Van Brempt said the issue is about the message sent by city hall, not the flag itself, and proposed replacing national flags with either a neutral peace flag or EU flags. At the next council meeting, left-wing parties PVDA and Groen, together with Vooruit, plan to submit motions demanding the immediate removal of the Israeli flag and a rewrite of Antwerp’s flag protocol. Van Doesburg is expected to defeat those measures with support from Vlaams Belang.
