Like numerous other cities and municipalities in Germany, the city of Hagen also raised the Israeli flag at the city hall on Wednesday. As in the previous year, this was to mark the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Federal Republic of Germany on 12 of May 1965.
Against the backdrop of the current events in the Middle East, the raising of the flag caused irritation, according to the city administration, and was interpreted by some people as a one-sided expression of solidarity related to the current conflict. There were several complaints, according to a spokeswoman for the city.
In order to correct this impression and to prevent further misunderstandings, the city of Hagen took down the flag again on Wednesday in coordination with the Hagen police.