Dozens of Israeli Flags Torched In Dutch Fishing Town
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
URK, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Christians in the Dutch fishing town of Urk prayed for Israel late Wednesday after dozens of Israeli flags were torn from homes, destroyed, and set on fire near one of the many local churches here.
Witnesses said more than 20 burned flags, including flag poles, were left behind at the Reformed De Poort church.
A circulating video seen by Worthy News showed a man with a covered face removing a flag from an Urk home and stamping on it.
Police and residents planned to step up patrols overnight to prevent more violence.
The attacks came a day after Worthy News reported that Urk had draped its lighthouse in the Israeli flag, where hundreds of Christians held a prayer vigil for the wartorn Jewish nation.
In response, Urk residents said they would not be deterred. “My husband is away because he is a fisherman, so it was difficult for me when they torched the flag. But I will not be intimidated. I will get another Israeli flag, even if they throw a stone through the window,” the woman said.
HUNDREDS OF FLAGS
Urk resident Paulus de Boer said he had ordered hundreds of Israeli flags to be distributed across this town of 21,000 people. “They will arrive on Friday, and all victims will receive an Israeli flag again,” he said.
“The attackers should know that by burning these flags, there will only be more Israeli flags in Urk. It is no longer about the flag but about the principle,” De Boer added.
Not all towns and cities are hosting the Israeli flag amid mounting tensions with members of the Palestinian community and their supporters.
Cities The Hague and Rotterdam refused to raise the Israeli flag, although they did host other flags, including the LGBTQ+ community’s Rainbow banner.
Yet in Urk, which has more churches than just European towns, residents were preparing to host more prayer vigils and flags for Israel as they remember the more than 900 Israeli men, women, and children killed by Hamas militants since Saturday.
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