California city cancels Chinese flag plans

SAN LEANDRO, Calif., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A California mayor said he has canceled the city's plans to raise the Chinese flag over City Hall to mark the country's National Day.

San Leandro Mayor Stephen Cassidy released a statement Thursday saying the flag will not be raised Oct. 1, despite the City Council approving the plan Monday in a 4-3 vote, The (Hayward, Calif.) Daily Review reported Friday.

Councilman Benny Lee, who is Chinese-American, had requested China's flag be raised over City Hall on China's National Day, which marks the 1949 creation of the nation, as a show of support for the local Chinese population and as a sign to Chinese businesses and investors that the city welcomes them.

However, Cassidy canceled the plan after human rights activists protested the move and said raising the flag could be seen as condoning the Chinese government's human rights violations in Tibet and elsewhere.