Palestinian flag lodged in public Hanukkah menorah in Connecticut sparks outcry

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A person briefly hung a Palestinian flag from a Hanukkah menorah in a public space, prompting widespread condemnation and a police investigation.

The unidentified person climbed the menorah on a public green near the Yale University campus during a nearby pro-Palestinian rally Saturday and placed a Palestinian flag among the candles. Police said the menorah was not destroyed and they were unsure whether the incident would be categorized as a hate crime.

But the flag's placement struck a chord at a time of rising fears of anti-Semitism since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. Universities in the US in particular have been accused of failing to protect Jewish students.

Officials denounced the act at a news conference on Monday.

“I am proud of the group that came here today to say: enough is enough. Not in America, not everywhere, as long as we speak out and stand up,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said at the press conference.

Yale President Peter Salovey said in a prepared statement that placing a Palestinian flag on the menorah “sends a deeply anti-Semitic message to the Jewish residents of New Haven.”

Protest organizers also condemned the act, which they described in a social media post as an “anti-Semitic action by an individual unaffiliated with any of the groups present.”

Jake Dressler, an area attorney who witnessed the act, said the person who laid down the flag was criticized by others who participated in Saturday's rally.

“His fellow demonstrators said, 'Go down, go down. It looks bad for us.” And within a minute he jumped back up and pulled him down.”