Westminster City Council Chief Stuart Love sent the following internal memo to staff last night after the council raised the Israeli flag over its buildings:

“Following the Government’s steer, we will be lighting up City Hall in white and blue, and we will be raising the Israeli flag to show our solidarity. I understand that this may be triggering for many of you for a variety of reasons. I want to stress that this approach is not a case of ‘taking sides’. As an organisation, we condemn all forms of violence and we acknowledge that this is a complex issue, with victims on both sides…”

This came on the same day that hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters blared horns and set off flares in triumph outside the Israeli embassy, celebrating Hamas’ attacks over the weekend. The BBC are still calling Hamas “militants“, even as the UK, the US, France, Germany, and Italy issued a joint statement “unequivocally condemning” their acts of terrorism. Meanwhile some are still worried about “triggering” their own staff with an act of solidarity with Israel…