Glasgow City Council has removed a series of hybrid Scottish–Palestinian flags – nicknamed “Paltires” – that had been unlawfully affixed to lampposts in several locations across the city. The action follows legal representations sent by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) to Glasgow City Council and the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Other concerned citizens also made representations about the flags to Glasgow Council and the police.

The hybrid flags, which combined half of the Saltire (the Scottish flag) with half of the Palestinian flag, appeared at multiple sites including Victoria Road, Woodlands Road, St George’s Road, and Caledonian Crescent. Their presence had caused significant distress within Glasgow’s Jewish community, with many residents reporting that the flags were intimidating, inflammatory, and exacerbating feelings of being unsafe or unwelcome.

Photographs of the flags circulated widely on social media. One Glasgow resident posted an image of one of the hybrid flags with the caption: “Why are Palestinian flags flying from lampposts in Glasgow? Why is this allowed? It is wildly inappropriate and is contributing to Jews in this city feeling unsafe and unwelcome.” The post received over 1,400 likes and sparked a stream of similar concerns from the public.

On 7 November 2025, UKLFI wrote to Glasgow City Council pointing out that displaying the unauthorised flags constituted a criminal offence under section 186 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and the associated Control of Advertisements Regulations. Flags used to promote a political cause fall within the statutory definition of an “advertisement”, meaning that consent is required before they may be displayed. As no such consent had been given, the flags were unlawfully attached to council-owned infrastructure.

UKLFI also drew attention to the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to foster good relations between Jewish and non-Jewish residents.

Separately, on 8 December 2025, UKLFI wrote to the Lord Lyon King of Arms, responsible for the legal oversight of heraldic symbols in Scotland. The letter explained that the hybrid flags also breach the Lyon King of Arms Act 1672, which prohibits defacing the Saltire or placing symbols upon it that imply private ownership or alter its heraldic integrity. The flags were therefore not only unauthorised advertisements but also an unlawful misuse of Scotland’s national emblem.

Glasgow City Council has now confirmed that the hybrid flags have been removed by its maintenance team and that any further such flags will be taken down on an ongoing basis. All known hybrid flags along Victoria Road, where a large number had appeared, have now been cleared.

A spokesperson for UKLFI said:

“We welcome Glasgow City Council’s decision to remove these unlawful hybrid flags. Their presence was causing considerable alarm within the Jewish community and breached planning regulations, equality duties, and the laws governing Scotland’s national symbols. We are pleased that the Council has taken appropriate action and trust that similar incidents will be dealt with promptly in the future.”