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  "description": "The flag has reportedly been hung from the National Education Union’s (NEU) office, overlooking the Town Hall Square, for five years",
  "path": "/city-mayor-intervenes-in-palestine-flag-dispute-says-officers-overreacted/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-22T11:00:33.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.leicester.news",
  "tags": [
    "Leicester Gazette",
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    "Learn more",
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  "textContent": "This story was written by the ****local democracy reporting service (LDRS),**** a BBC-funded scheme to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy. The Leicester Gazette has been a partner in the scheme since March 2024, and so receives some stories as part of it.\n\n****Because LDRS reporters are not employed by the Gazette, their stories do not follow our style guide or**** standards code****.****\n\n\n                            Learn more\n                        \n\nSir Peter Soulsby has stepped in to stop council officers ordering a Leicester city centre office to take down a Palestine flag.\n\nThe flag has reportedly been hung from the National Education Union’s (NEU) office, overlooking the Town Hall Square, for five years.\n\nAccording to the NEU website, there is significant solidarity for a free Palestine among members.\n\nThe NEU also funds the General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT) to organise training sessions on giving emotional support to students traumatised by war.\n\nFormer teacher Peter Flack said officers from Leicester City Council first visited in April 2026, asking the flag be removed after a complaint was made.\n\nHe said he received further notices insisting its removal in the weeks to follow.\n\n## Join the conversation\n\nOur app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community.\n\n\n\n\n__Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__\n\nHowever, after being made aware of the situation, City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby instructed officers to withdraw their threats.\n\nHe said the situation had “every indication” of an “overreaction” from officers, and enforcing this demand would be “disproportionate”.\n\nHe said: “Of course, they do try to respond to complaints.\n\n“But I certainly took the view that when the NEU said they didn’t want to take it down, that they were quite entitled to say that – they are the tenants of the property.\n\n“Apparently it’s been there for five years. We’ve had one complaint in those five years and even if it was legal for a landlord to tell a tenant to take down something like that, it doesn’t really seem very proportionate when nobody had even noticed it.\n\n“Irrespective of the flag, it’s something the people should be able to have. So long as they’re not actually doing something that is offensive, advertising a terrorist organization, defaming somebody or writing something obscene, tenants are permitted to enjoy their tenancy.”\n\n* * *\n\n**Before you go…** We've recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we're a small team on a shoestring budget.\n\nNow, we're ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.**\n\nThe app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It's a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community.\n\n* * *",
  "title": "City mayor intervenes in Palestine flag dispute, says officers “overreacted”",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-22T13:00:34.591Z"
}