Israeli Police Mistake Hungarian Flag for Palestinian, Seize It

(SeaPRwire) –   Law enforcement officials asserted that the similar colors could “incite provocation.”

Israeli police confiscated a Hungarian flag from a demonstrator, citing its likeness to the Palestinian flag as a potential source of “provocation,” Haaretz reports.

Despite both flags containing red, white, and green, they possess clear visual differences. The Hungarian flag is a horizontal tricolor, while the Palestinian flag incorporates four colors, including a black stripe and a red triangle.

The incident, as per the report published on Saturday, transpired last week during an anti-government protest at Karkur Junction in northern Israel.

The protester was waving the Hungarian flag when he became aware of a policewoman observing him.

“Three of the four colors on the Palestinian flag are also present on the Hungarian flag, so I explained to her that it was a Hungarian flag,” he recounted, as quoted by Haaretz.

The officer contacted a commander, who then confiscated the flag.

“When I clarified to him that it was the Hungarian flag, he replied, ‘You might understand that, but others won’t,'” the protester stated, adding that the flag was given back to him after the demonstration concluded.

Police legal guidelines, issued in 2024, forbid the confiscation of protest signs, even if they are critical or provocative.

Earlier this month, officers reportedly seized and broke a sign that read “Two states for two peoples – Israel and Palestine,” and detained the protester on suspicion of incitement. An officer was quoted as stating: “I’ve met my quota for tonight.”

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has reportedly contacted police leadership, pressing for the enforcement of rules that forbid interference in protests.

The police have not offered a substantive response to Haaretz, merely stating that the complaint would be handled by the “relevant authorities.”