Reykjavík City Hall removes Ukrainian and Palestinian flags, to fly Icelandic flag daily

The flags of Ukraine and Palestine, which had been flying at Reykjavík City Hall, have been taken down. In their place, the Icelandic flag will now be raised daily.

Previously, the Icelandic flag was only flown on designated flag days, during official state visits, or when city council meetings were held. The new policy, approved by the majority in the city council's first meeting, eliminates recent regulations regarding the use of flags at the city's administrative buildings.

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Reykjavík does not have an independent foreign policy and the city should primarily attend to real tasks for the city's residents.

Reykjavík Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir acknowledged the symbolic nature of the decision. She stated her desire for the Icelandic flag to be the primary flag flown at City Hall, rather than foreign flags being displayed in a political context. Björnsdóttir emphasized that Reykjavík does not have an independent foreign policy and should prioritize its core responsibilities to its residents.

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it is complex and time-consuming to draw the line on which foreign flags should be flown, when, and for how long.

This sentiment was echoed by Björg Magnúsdóttir, leader of Viðreisn and the new president of the city council, and Einar Þorsteinsson, leader of the Progressive Party and new chairman of the city board. Magnúsdóttir noted on Facebook that drawing a line on which foreign flags to fly, when, and for how long is complex and time-consuming. Þorsteinsson told mbl.is that the move is a political statement to avoid wasting elected officials' time on prolonged debates about international issues on which they were not elected to take a stance.

The regulations that were rescinded were initially adopted on April 17th. Their purpose was to establish guidelines for how long flags should fly at administrative buildings and to make it easier for elected officials to show solidarity with nations and their people when appropriate. The review of these regulations was prompted by a city board decision last June to fly the Palestinian flag alongside the Ukrainian one.

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it is a political statement, about not wasting the time of elected representatives in Reykjavík on protracted discussions about international issues that they were not elected to take a position on.