Providence isn’t the only American city to have flown the flag. Last November, the city hall of Hoboken, New Jersey also raised the Palestinian flag despite controversy. That same month, a Palestinian flag-raising ceremony at the city hall of Regina, a Canadian city, was abruptly cancelled.

Mayor Brett Smiley said he wasn’t happy that Providence City Councilors will be raising the Palestinian flag at City Hall on May 16, but he couldn’t do anything about it. “I want to be clear that my office does not have the authority to prevent a separate,

Tensions between City Council members, and between councilors and the mayor, played out over several days before the flag raising.