Palestine flag to be raised at Paul Keating Park, Bankstown and Campsie Administration Building

Shouts of “free, free Palestine” echoed as the red, black, green and white national flag was raised in Sydney’s southwest, with Bankstown being self-described by supporters as the “capital of humanity”.

Canterbury-Bankstown council passed a motion on Tuesday's meeting to fly the Palestinian flag at two locations.

A Palestinian flag has been hoisted outside a park in southwest Sydney, with the city council voting in favour of the “controversial” move.

Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Karl Saleh raised the red, black, green and white flag of Palestine on Wednesday afternoon alongside two council security guards.

“This shows the Canterbury-Bankstown council is not only a capital of multi-culture in NSW, but also the capital of humanity,” Mr Saleh said standing under the flag poles next to the Australian and NSW flags, flying outside the Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre.

The council voted to fly the flag on poles looking over Paul Keating Park in Bankstown and the Campsie administration building on Tuesday, until a ceasefire is declared in Palestine.

“We ask for a ceasefire. It should happen now,” Mr Saleh said.

The spectacle drew a crowd of more than 50 Palestinian supporters, council members, families with children and onlookers, who clapped, cheered and shouted “free free Palestine, free free Gaza,” as the flag rose into the air.

Labor councillor Karl Salah tabled the motion at last night's meeting.

Mr Saleh also joined in on the chants, smiling and clapping alongside members of his community.

Leading the rally was pro-Palestine supporter Rowah Hassann.

More than 30 peaceful supporters gathered outside the council chambers.

“We are all human. We are part of the human race,” she said fighting back tears.

“It’s genocide. (We must) come together for peace or unity. No matter the race religion or colour. We need to stick together as one.”

Ms Hassann said to see the flag flying made her feel “really warm inside.”

“The flag being up there is outstanding for us it means the world,” she said.

Councillor Karl Salah said he was happy the motion passed at last night's council meeting.

“Free Palestine. Everybody around the world should know what goes on. Children are dying. Newborns. It’s not right.”

One supporter held a cardboard sign which read: “You are doing what got done to you in the Holocaust. Hypocrisy at its finest. Let’s call it what it is, genocide.”

Another female spectator stood with a poster which said: “Peace, justice, freedom. Ceasefire now.”

Other attendees held up their own flags or wore them on their backs as they watched in awe with their hands on their hearts as the flag ascended into the sky.

Mr Saleh tabled the motion at Tuesday night’s council meeting as a “mark of respect” and to “convey their condolences” to the more than 5000 Palestinians killed in the conflict.

Reaction to the decision by Canterbury-Bankstown councillors ranging from unwavering support to concerns the motion will cause further community division.

Australian Jewish Association president Dr David Adler condemned the move and said it was “incomprehensible that any civilised people could support a gesture at this time. “This would be akin to flying the German flag after Kristallnacht or the Japanese flag after Pearl Harbour,” he said.

Readers were split on the council decision, with one person commenting on The Daily Telegraph’s story “This is amazing. Glad to see there is some humanity left in this world”.

Other readers threw their support behind the motion, with another saying: “I am happy for them to support and fly the flag, I am not an Arab or Jew”.

“If we can light our Opera House, the most famous symbol of Australia, with the colours of Israel then yes Bankstown Council have every right to show solidarity with the people of Palestine by flying a flag,” another commented.

However, other readers said the move would “divide the community even more”.

“Both sides are to blame when it comes to war. Canterbury-Bankstown Council should be ashamed of itself,” one person commented.

“This is not the role of local government. This is Australia … we have one flag and that is the flag that should be flown,” another said.

Other readers said councils should “only be concerned with rates, rubbish and roads”.