I will be the first person to say that a communist country's flag should NOT be raised on American soil. We do not condone that type of tyranny and for Philadelphia to do so is sickening.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney raised the flag at the city hall in order to 'celebrate diversity' and honor the "70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China."
They observed the Chinese holiday, and even posted photos of China's red flag being raised as the crowd watched.
China's Communist flag was raised at Philadelphia's City Hall to celebrate "diversity."
Yes, *that* Philadelphia...where the Declaration of Independence was signed. pic.twitter.com/j4dUSAvj9M
— LaborUnionReport.com (@WorkPlaceRpt) October 9, 2019
According to The Epoch Times, many people in the community were against raising the flag as they felt it endorses the community country. I must say, I agree with them!
“Raising this flag, a symbol of the birth of the Chinese Communist Party on October 1, 1949 is only celebrating tyranny, repression, and death,” a local wrote in an email to Kenney.
Chinese flag should be cut down from an AMERICAN flagpole at minimum, and BURNED at maximum. And in PHILADELPHIA of all places. Good God! Our Founders must be spinning in their graves. If John Adams hasn't repented in Heaven, he must be getting ready to. https://t.co/6o0mXPQQIS
— #MAGAVeteran Deplorable White American Nationalist (@TimSheryl) October 9, 2019
However, the mayor's office released a statement saying that “the flag raisings are not a sign of support for any specific government, political party, or movement.”
“Rather, they are an opportunity … for people with shared heritage to celebrate their backgrounds and experiences,” the office added.
What a terrible attempt to save face. If anything, they just made themselves sound even worse. Raising another country's flag does indeed endorse that country. No matter what kind of spin they attempt to put it.
In an opinion article published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Christine M. Flowers criticized the city’s justification for raising China’s flag “as part of a program devoted to multiculturalism and diversity.”
Flowers wrote, “Raising the flag of a brutal totalitarian regime does not honor the immigrants whose parents and grandparents were brutalized by the government it represents,”
“Raising that flag does not honor the humanity of those Chinese refugees, prisoners of conscience, and victims of persecution who I have met in my capacity as an asylum advocate." She continued, "Raising that flag is an abomination."
After writing the mayor's office and receiving a statement like the one above, claiming that it is to celebrate heritage, Flowers shot back again.
“Sorry, but it’s hard to understand how raising the Communist flag of China is not meant to support the Communist regime of China,” she added, “Why not just announce a parade down the Parkway to commemorate the birth of Stalin in December? Or maybe raise the swastika at City Hall to commemorate Jan. 30, 1933, the day Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany?”
What do you think? Did they have any business raising the Chinese flag? Let us know in the comments.