WATCH: Protester Climbed Roof of Sheffield Town Hall to Remove Israeli Flag, Raise Palestinian

A man attending a protest in support of Palestine scaled Sheffield town hall on Tuesday, hauling down the Israeli flag flying from a roof flagpole in solidarity with those families impacted by Saturday’s massive terror attack, raising a Palestinian colour instead.

Government buildings and local authorities across Britain flew the Israeli flag, or otherwise lit up monuments and public buildings in blue and white this week in a sign of solidarity with the Israeli people after a massive terror attack on Saturday which is now reported to have killed over 1,200.

Some objected to this signal, however, with a protest outside the town hall of Sheffield, England seeing a group of men scale the building to tear down the flag.

A statement by Sheffield City Council confirmed “a number of individuals scaled Sheffield Town Hall and removed the Israel flag, replacing it with the flag of Palestine”, and that staff later retrieved the Israeli flag and replaced the flying Palestine flag with the British Union flag. The body said they were assessing their security measures after the breach and were working with South Yorkshire Police.

Councillor Tom Hunt, the leader of the City Council said he supported the right to protest but did not condone the incident, as “Protestors put themselves and others in serious danger. We are a City of Sanctuary, and this is not what we stand for.” Despite strong feelings, he asked “everyone to show respect and tolerance at this time” and said the thoughts of the council were with a ll those impacted by the attack in Israel, saying “terrorism is never justified”.

In footage of the protest charged by Sheffield Online, wild cheers can be heard from the crowd as the flag was replaced. The BBC reports police dispersed the crowd during a “minor disorder”.

Shefield Town Hall is a landmark 19th-century building, rated grade one listed by the UK government so it enjoys the highest levels of legal protection as a notable work of historic architecture. As well as its external Renaissance Revival style, the hall is known for its impressive interiors, a reflection of the great wealth of the town of Sheffield historically as a globally important centre for scientific and industrial development and production.