Urk residents to receive new Israeli flags after theft and burning
Residents in Urk who had their Israeli flags stolen and set on fire on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday will receive a new one. A resident ordered 350 Israeli flags for the people of Urk due to the high demand, AD reported on Wednesday.
Nearly two dozen Israeli flags were collected and set on fire in Urk on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The municipality of Urk stated that the flags were taken from homes and burned next to De Poort church, a Reformed Protestant Church. A spokesperson for Urk told NL Times that they had not yet decided whether to press charges as a municipality or to leave it to individual households.
"This is unacceptable. We have freedom of expression, and that must be respected. Rest assured that this matter has the full attention of the municipality and the police," Urk mayor Cees van den Boos commented on Wednesday.
In reaction, Paulus de Boer, a resident of Urk, announced on Wednesday that all the affected residents would receive a new flag. He sells products from Israel. "Every time something happens in Israel, people in Urk raise the Israeli flag. Last Saturday, we already saw the demand increasing,” he said.
“But now that a series has been burned and people are asking for more, and with supply from Israel being difficult, I've ordered 350 flags from a flag manufacturer. “They will arrive by Friday at the latest,” he said.
