Calgary mayor wants to end raising of other countries’ flags at city hall

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is calling for an end to the raising of other country’s national flags at city hall, saying such events are causing division.

In a letter posted to social media Thursday, Farkas says his urgent Notice of Motion will be presented at council next week.

“Calgarians from many communities have reached out with serious concerns about how national flag raisings, of any country, can unintentionally heighten tensions here at home,” the mayor said. “These events, even when well-intentioned, increasingly risk becoming flashpoints for conflict and for the alarming rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia we are seeing in our city.”

Farkas’s motion seeks to amend Calgary’s Flag Policy so that national flags can no longer be requested raised at City Hall. The change would app