Tensions between City Council members, and between councilors and the mayor, played out over several days before the flag raising.

The decision to fly the flag received backlash from community members and city leaders, but supporters say it was an act of solidarity.

Providence isn’t the only American city to have flown the flag. Last November, the city hall of Hoboken, New Jersey also raised the Palestinian flag despite controversy. That same month, a Palestinian flag-raising ceremony at the city hall of Regina, a Canadian city, was abruptly cancelled.