Pro-Palestine flag removed at rally, Bernie Sanders faces backlash
A pro-Palestine flag was removed at a Bernie Sanders rally in Idaho, which has led to the US Senator being under fire on social media, Middle East Eye reported on April 16th.
On April 14th, more than 12,500 people were in Nampa’s Ford Idaho Center, where Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on the people there to not let billionaires influence them on US politics.
Sanders has risen as a prominent critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He consistently frames it as a conflict initiated by “Netanyahu’s right-wing government,” rather than Israel itself.
In January 2025, Sanders stood alone in the Senate, condemning President Trump’s proposal to expel Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinians. He described Trump’s plan as “ethnic cleansing” and a “war crime.” In March 2025, Sanders vowed to push for votes on resolutions to block arms sales to Israel. This move was spurred by the worsening humanitarian crisis due to Israel’s blockade of aid to Gaza.
One person said in an X post: “Some anti-genocide people unfurled a Free Palestine flag behind Bernie Sanders at his rally just now and police thugs arrested them as Bernie Sanders looked on and let it happen without saying a word.”
At the rally, Sanders allegedly stated that “Israel, like any other country, has the right to defend itself from terrorism.” However Israel “does not have the right to wage all out war against the Palestinian people,” he continued. Sanders also declared “not one more nickel [should go] to Netanyahu.” These statements sparked more backlash and uncertainty about his silence on the protesters’ treatment during the event.
Numerous pro-Palestine protests have sparked tensions in the US, especially under the new Trump administration. On April 14th, immigration officials detained Mohsen Mahdawi, a student protest organizer at Columbia University. This and similar incidents since October 2023 have intensified social media debates and heightened public concern.
The public has previously targeted Bernie Sanders for not labelling the current horrors in the enclave a “genocide.”
Following the rally, numerous social media users claimed Sanders had “lost his credibility.” They argued he failed to stand up for the protesters and assert that they should continue holding their signs.
Middle East Eye
