Why Putting the French Flag on the Space Needle Is Racist

To some people, the flag on the Space Needle is a show of solidarity; to others, it shows that Seattle loves France more than Kenya and other non-Western countries that experienced very deadly terrorist attacks. Screenshot from YouTube

There is a huge French flag on top of the Space Needle right now . It is supposed to show our city's support for Paris, a city that on Friday was hit hard by coordinated terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists. But what is wrong with this and other displays of solidarity around the city (the blue, white, and red lights on the Great Wheel and at City Hall )?

Simply this: Why wasn't the Kenyan flag placed on top of the Space Needle when, back in April, Islamic terrorists killed 147 people at Garissa University? Or when a terrorist attack on an upscale mall in Nairobi claimed 67 lives in 2013? Or how about the Ugandan flag for the 74 Kampalans who were murdered by Islamic extremists in 2010?

There is also Pakistan. That Islamic country suffered its worst terrorist attack in 2014, when 131 schoolchildren and 9 adults were murdered by terrorists. Where was the flag of Pakistan for these kids? And the list goes on and on.

Why no show of support for these countries? Let's be blunt: Because they are not white countries. That's precisely all the French flag on the Space Needle says to many people: Only white lives matter.