The flag of Israel represents the greatest human rights disaster in modern history, yet has flown proudly at the Broome County Correctional Facility by order of Sheriff Akshar. His dedication to Trump's unconstitutional actions has also made Broome County one of the leading penal camps for immigrants in New York State.
For over 600 days the Israeli flag flew over our county jail. It was a flagrant display of a Sheriff knowingly engaging in a divisive, illegal act in violation of New York State Public Building Law.
New York State Law forbids a foreign flag from flying over public property. The actual wording of the law states, “It shall not be lawful to display the flag or emblem of any foreign country upon any state, county or municipal building; provided, however, that whenever any foreigner shall become the guest of the United States, the state or any city, upon public proclamation by the governor or mayor of such city, the flag of the country of which such public guest shall be a citizen may be displayed upon such public buildings.”
Veterans For Peace notified Sheriff Akshar on July 29 that it would file a lawsuit if the Israeli flag was not taken down within 10 days. After 6 days he relented.
Now that the flag is down, Sheriff Akshar and county officials need to apologize to the general public. The leader of the institution that is supposed to uphold the law and claim their jail is a “correctional facility” has demonstrated the opposite by making a mockery of the law and betraying the public trust. Sheriff Akshar, with the permission of the Broome County Legislature, has turned citizens' property into a shameful display of acceptance of an Israeli-United States genocide in Gaza.
The Sheriff, with Broome County officials standing by, has also made the Broome County jail a gulag, a black hole for immigrant workers wanting to be part of the “American Dream”.
Sheriff Akshar, the leading law enforcer in the county, has lost credibility by knowingly engaging in divisive, illegal conduct. Given his partnership with ICE, an agency that willfully violates US Constitutional rights, Akshar has demonstrated his personal politics are more important than public service. He should be ashamed of his conduct and admonished for his actions.
The first words of Sheriff Akshar in his media release following the removal of the Israeli flag showed the depth of his ignorance.
The Sheriff said the attack of October 7, 2023 was "unprovoked". He seems unaware that the people of Palestine have been murdered by the Israelis by the thousands for 77 years prior to October 7th, 2023. Palestinian homes have been bulldozed, their olive trees cut down, their land given to Israeli immigrant settlers, their children sent to prison for years for throwing rocks at Israeli tanks. Israe's system of apartheid has tormented the people of Palestine for decades. The "unprovoked" lie has been repeated over and over in the Western media. The Sheriff has been taught to believe as true the blatant lie of Israeli Zionists--and spread by "Christian" Zionists.
Sheriff Fred Akshar needs to apologize to the people of Broome for 600 plus days of flying the flag of unspeakable human rights violations, the slaughter of tens of thousands of people--all celebrated with the flag of Israel.
Might does not make right. Right makes might--the people of Broome County are right.
-Jack Gilroy, member of the Veterans For Peace Stu Naismith Chapter 90 and a Field Representative of VFP