From GB News
Sir Sadiq Khan’s City Hall has hit back at accusations it removed the Star of David from the New Year’s Eve Fireworks display.
The annual celebration featured dozens of flags which were projected onto the London Eye.
The narrator said: “Here’s what England means to me – the real England. When it’s sunny, it’s too hot. When it’s cold, the weather’s rubbish. England to me is a cup of tea. How many sugars? I’m sweet enough. England, to me is Caribbean barbers with a sharpish trim.
“It’s Christian neighbours saying Happy Hanukkah, mate, and Muslim mums saying Merry Christmas, love.
“And you think you’re seeing flags now? Wait until the World Cup’s on. Then you’ll know about flags, my son.
“Because this is what England means to me. It’s about loving each other no matter what colour you are, where you’re from, or who your God is. Because this is England. This is the United Kingdom.”
Around 100,000 people watched on from the banks of the River Thames as the extraordinary display was seen to have made a glaring omission.
Israel’s flag could only be seen in the BBC’s coverage as white with two blue stripes.
The Star of David, which represents Jewish identity, was not visible.
The Mayor’s office has strongly denied removing the Star of David, insisting that the flags were not always clear given the moving animation.
Viewers saw a blank space where the Star of David should have been, but they also saw other blue and white flags being affected, including those of Guatemala, Argentina and Honduras.
Social media users were quick to pour scorn on the segment.
Others also laid into how the Northern Irish Ulster Banner was not displayed alongside the other flags of the Home Nations.
Aaron Stewart said: “Trying to work out which is the bigger abomination, the fact that the EU flag made the cut or that Northern Ireland is again left out.
A City Hall spokesman said: “A range of flags were displayed on the London Eye to represent the wide variety of countries of origin of people who live in and contribute to the success of London.
“These animated flags were small and moving so were not all entirely clear at every point as they gradually formed into the Union Flag.”
Sir Sadiq had earlier declared “diversity is a strength, not a weakness” during a pre-fireworks interview.
Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said he initially believed claims circulating online were false. He wrote on X: “I thought this was a hoax, so I checked myself…The Star of David was removed from the Israeli flag during last night’s fireworks display at the London Eye. Just a white flag, with two blue stripes – and the Jewish symbol gone. Mayor Sadiq Khan has a lot of explaining to do.”
This is just so much the sort of thing Sadiq Khan might do, or order to be done,him being a nasty slippery slug-like creature that I can well believe it. Except if you look at the picture above, the Israeli flag, without Magen David is near centre, between the flag of Korea and the Nordic cross of what I think is Sweden. If Sweden the yellow of their cross is also affected by the poor colour balance. Alternatively the flag represents the Shetlands, (white Nordic cross on blue background) which has been part of Scotland (previously Norway) since 1472, so unlikely.
I think the flag top left of the England flag (far right) is that of Argentina, and that is also missing its Sun of May.
So maybe it was a genuine mistake.
Or maybe someone thought, I’ll tweak the colour balance to remove the Magen David and didn’t have the sense to realise flags of other nations would be affected.
