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The decision to fly the Palestinian flag over a town hall in east London has sparked outrage from campaign groups.

Tower Hamlet’s Mayor Lutfur Rahman ordered the flag to be flown from the town hall in Mulberry Place as a symbol of “solidarity with Gaza and in support of a ceasefire and peace.”

But the gesture has been condemned by Jewish leaders as “destructive” for community relations and deemed as “inappropriate.”

The move came just 24 hours after it emerged the controversial mayor will face trial over claims he committed voting fraud during the local elections last May.

Palestinian flag flying at Town Hall in solidarity with #Gaza and in support of a #ceasefire & peace. pic.twitter.com/W031EGxjTX — Lutfur Rahman (@MayorLutfur) July 30, 2014

He was previously a member of the Tower Hamlets Labour Party but was expelled after he was accused of having close links with extremist group the Islamic Forum of Europe.

Yesterday he tweeted images of the flag with the message: “Palestinian flag flying at Town Hall in solidarity with Gaza and in support of a ceasefire & peace.”

Jonathan Arkush, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told the Standard: "Mayor Rahman should remember that he is flying a flag from a British town hall in support of an organisation that is regarded across Europe and the world as terrorist.

"It is totally inappropriate. It is also destructive of relations between the communities that make up our capital city."





Twitter users also lambasted Mr Rahman for the move.



Jonathan Heyes wrote: “Flying the Palestinian Flag over the town hall is wrong, what exactly does Gaza, Hamas and Israel have to do with Tower Hamlets?”

Another user said: “They have raised the Palestinian flag at Tower Hamlets Town Hall..what a joke.”

But other Pro-Palestinian supporters showed their support, with one user tweeting: “Not my preferred choice of mayor but fully support his decision to do this, however it came about.”

Preston Council and Bradford Council have also caused rows by flying the Palestinian flag from their town halls earlier this month.