The Palestinian flag and traditional keffiyeh scarf have been regular appearances at recent demonstrations across Europe over housing, education and the cost of living. Palestinian symbols were also displayed in Northern Ireland, where a decades-old standoff risked reigniting historic grievances. Kenny Pierre Agboton, from the Free University of Brussels for Palestine platform, says the use of the Palestinian flag in demonstrations is a nod to anti-colonialism and anti-repression struggles.
He said that engaging in a political struggle is a political choice that values education over “giving arms to the military”. His association is in contact with like-minded groups at other universities in Belgium and “we usually give one flag to each association” during nationwide demonstrations. Across the border, France is witnessing nationwide rallies that began over faults within the education system.
High school students, backed by university and teacher associations, trade unions and some politicians, are demanding more affordable, higher-quality education, upgraded schools, smaller classes and more teachers. And some have done so while carrying the Palestinian flag or wearing the keffiyeh. Alice Cohen-Morzadec, spokesperson for the French Student Union and a regular protester, views the flag as a symbol of the daily struggles in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and broader global inequalities.
Nelson Mandela wore the keffiyeh in 1990. In 2006, then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of the Socialist Workers’ Party briefly wore one after a young Palestinian reportedly placed it around his neck. We mustn’t make the mistake of relativising everything,” he said.
This fact alone should put things into perspective.” But the anti-colonial messaging of the students or the realpolitik of some politicians does not resonate in every country with a protest movement. Fatos Lubonja, an activist and writer who spent 17 years in prison during Albania’s communist rule, said he is one of the few who has carried the Palestinian flag or worn a keffiyeh during anticorruption demonstrations in his Muslim-majority country over the past four months. He said that in Albania, some see the Palestinian struggle alongside issues related to Muslims.
And Muslims are equated with the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans were considered as occupiers with whom we lived with a long time. The narrative was that we were coming back to Europe, returning to our roots,” he said.
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