If you walk along the bike path admiring the beautiful Baawaating waterfront, you'll come across a collection of flags in front of our City Hall. These flags represent cultural and political ties to nations across the world who we have vibrant immigrant communities from, and strong relationships. The political component was highlighted when the Russian flag was removed after their unlawful, immoral invasion of Ukraine - an injustice that our community does not stand for.

But yet, another flag remains after decades of unlawful occupation and expansion, intentional restriction of basic rights and now, nearly 2 years of genocide and war crimes. What does this say about our community?
As a new position is created for Indigenous relations around the frame of 'reconciliation' in city council, we continue to proudly and openly fly the flag of a violent colonial state.
This removal has been proposed before, but maybe this time we will see real action - with your help.

SIGN NOW and show your support to remove the Israeli flag from our city hall.

**THE FORMAL LETTER THAT WILL BE SENT TO COUNCIL AND SIGNED BY YOU IS AS FOLLOWS**

Dear Mayor Shoemaker,

We are proud to be a small, volunteer-led, grassroots organization in Baawaating, located on Robinson-Huron Treaty Territory. As a group, we welcome The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s commitment to Indigenous reconciliation as a pillar of the Corporate Strategic Plan 2024-2027. Under the Community Development Focus Area, the Corporate Strategic Plan specifically highlights taking a proactive approach and establishing respectful and meaningful relationships with First Nations and Metis communities. To do this, it is imperative we 1) acknowledge The City of Sault Ste Marie’s direct connection to colonization and the Indian Act and 2) apply the lens of colonization globally, understanding that genocide and ethnic cleansing are active colonial tools in today’s world.

Firstly, The City’s most prominent connection to Indigenous history is through Algoma University, a leading national academic institution that operates out of the former Shingwauk Residential School, where genocide and ethnic cleansing of Indigenous people was executed by the Canadian federal government as part of The Indian Act of 1876. The Indian Act in Canada was born from colonialism, British imperialism, white supremacy, and The Discovery Doctrine, dating back to the 1400s when the Pope and King of Spain came together

and ruled that non-whites did not have the right or ability to own land. This resulted in The Discovery Doctrine, permitting British imperialism across the globe from people like Christopher Colombus. Thus, colonization has come from the weaponization of Christianity to justify the reign of white supremacy.

Understanding the root and foundations of colonization invites us to apply these pillars of colonization to current global events. As it stands, Israel is under investigation by the International Court of Justice for genocide and ethnic cleansing, due to its illegal military occupation of Palestine and its Occupied Territories over the last 75+ years. Additionally in November 2024, both the Defense Minister and Prime Minister of Israel were issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity following the events of October 7th, 2023. Much of Israel’s justification for their illegal colonial expansion comes from the weaponization of Jewish faith, in the same ways that Christianity was weaponized by The Pope and the King of Spain. To clarify, we are making no comment or criticism on Jewish faith or any religion itself, but are acknowledging its weaponization to justify acts of colonial violence.

It is important to understand this connection because it means that The City of Sault Ste Marie, which has made strong commitments to Indigenous reconciliation, is at risk of compromising its integrity and commitments to Indigenous reconciliation by allowing the flag of Israel to continue to stand at City Hall. Given our direct connection to the colonization of Indigenous people and the brutal acts of The Indian Act through the former Shingwauk Residential School, it is crucial we act with intention and conviction.

The potential risks of not removing the flag include hindering our relationships with Indigenous community members, which is a direct contradiction to the Corporate Strategic Plan; and various reputation risks surrounding commitments to Indigenous reconciliation and support for global colonization. By continuing to keep this flag, we are signifying that we support genocide and ethnic cleansing, while perpetuating the false narratives that conflate

Jewish faith as the state of Israel. Again, this is a direct contradiction to The City’s Indigenous reconciliation efforts and incredibly harmful to our Indigenous community members who have already endured atrocious acts of violence from our colonial past.

As a group, we write to request that the flag of Israel be removed from The City of Sault Ste Marie City Hall building to strengthen our commitments to Indigenous reconciliation. This request is well-aligned with the prompt removal of the Russian flag following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The removal of the Israeli flag is a symbol of understanding our colonial history, committing to actively changing this history, and not participating in the same narratives. It is a sign of deep respect to Indigenous communities and a strong commitment to Indigenous reconciliation, positioning The City of Sault Ste Marie as a leader in decolonization.

We are grateful for your consideration of this request. Please let us know how we can support this call-to-action.