UK says schoolchildren shouldn’t wave Palestine flags. Ukraine flags are fine though

The British government has been accused of hypocrisy after saying pupils should not display Palestine flags in school, despite the government having promoted the displaying of Ukrainian flags in schools and made other political statements on Ukraine. On Wednesday Education Secretary Lucy Powell told Sky News: "I don't think that our schools should be a place where it's about making protests and statements about geopolitical events around the world." Powell was also asked whether pupils should be "allowed to display Palestinian flags" in schools. She replied: "That's not what we would expect in schools, that's not expected at all. Schools are a place to be impartial." Last November Powell's predecessor as education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, was filmed in a classroom with pupils waving the Ukrainian flag. Read more: UK says schoolchildren shouldn’t wave Palestine flags. Ukraine flags are fine though Britain's Education Secretary Lucy Powell pictured on 21 July (AFP)