Half-mast

This usually happens when a personality dies, or in the occasion of a tragedy.The flag of Cambodia flew at half mast upon the death of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk for seven days, from 15 to 22 October 2012.

These include: On occasion discretion can dictate the flying of the national flag at half-mast, not only on the Peace Tower, but on all federal facilities.

The Royal Standard of Canada also never flies at half-mast, as it is considered representative of the sovereign, who ascends to the throne automatically upon the death of their predecessor.

[19] In spite of the federal government's policy, local authorities have often decided to fly the flag at half-mast to honour fallen soldiers who were from their jurisdiction, including Toronto and Saskatchewan.

[21] On 2 April 2008, the House of Commons voted in favour of a motion calling on the government to reinstate the former policy regarding the half-masting of the flag on federal buildings.

[31] India also declared 29 March 2015 as a day of national mourning as a mark of respect to the former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.

[32] After the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and the death of Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, the Union Government of India ordered one-day national mourning on 9 July 2022 and 11 September 2022, respectively.

When a balcony in Berkeley, California, collapsed, killing six Irish people, flags were flown at half mast above all state buildings.

[clarification needed] In 2016, to commemorate the centenary of the Easter Rising, the Irish national flag over the General Post Office in Dublin was lowered to half mast.

On Easter Monday 1916, as the rising began, Patrick Pearse stood outside the Post Office and read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

This day is observed as Martyrs' Day, a significant national event that commemorates the assassination of Aung San, the revolutionary founding father of modern Myanmar and father of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, along with several of his key ministers and advisory commissioners in 1947.

The flag being flown at half-mast serves as a symbol of national mourning and respect for those who sacrificed their lives for the country's independence and sovereignty.

Various ceremonies and tributes are held across the nation, emphasizing the importance of Aung San's legacy and the ongoing struggle for democracy and human rights in Myanmar.

In 2014, the prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, announced a three-day mourning period from 16 December, including flying the flag at half-mast nationwide and at all embassies and high commissions of Pakistan, for the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar.

[70][72] The flag may also be used to cover the caskets of the dead of the military, veterans of previous wars, national artists, and outstanding civilians as determined by the local government.

In such cases, the flag must be placed such that the white triangle is at the head and the blue portion covers the right side of the casket.

[citation needed] In the aftermath of the Mamasapano clash in which 44 members of the Special Action Force were killed, January 30, 2015 was declared a national day of mourning, and as such, all public institutions and military installations were instructed to lower the Philippine flag to half-mast.

[73] Aquino's former communications secretary, Manolo Quezon, noted that some flags have been lowered to half-mast before his family confirmed the former president's death.

[74] According to article 11 of the Coat of Arms Act, the flag of Poland may be flown at half-mast as a sign of national mourning declared by the president.

On 5 August 2014, Taiwan flew their flag in half-mast for three days to commemorate the victims of the Kaohsiung gas explosions and TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crash.

At other times, the government may issue an order for the national flag to be flown at half-mast upon the death of principal figures of the Turkish political life as a mark of respect to their memory (such as Turgut Özal).

[120] When such an order is issued, all government buildings, offices, public schools and military bases are to fly their flags at half-mast.

To show the sympathy of Turkish people to a foreign leader, such as after the deaths of Yasser Arafat or Pope John Paul II, flags are also flown at half-mast by governmental order.

[125] There was some controversy in the United Kingdom in 1997 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, over the fact that no flag was flown at half-mast at Buckingham Palace.

In response to public outcry,[126] Queen Elizabeth II ordered a break with protocol, replacing the Royal Standard with the Union Flag at half mast as soon as she left the palace to attend the princess's funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Since then, the Union Flag flies from the palace when the monarch is not in residence, and has flown at half mast upon the deaths of members of the royal family, such as Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother in 2002, Prince Philip in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and at other times of national mourning such as following the terrorist bombings in London on 7 July 2005, and upon the death of the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 2013.

[129] In accordance with the protocol implemented after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Union Flag at Buckingham Palace was lowered to half mast.

When such an order is issued, all government buildings, offices, public schools, and military bases are to fly their flags at half-staff.

Presidential proclamations also call for the flag to be flown at half-staff on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (7 December),[141] On 16 October 2001, President George W. Bush approved legislation requiring the United States flag to be lowered to half-staff on all Federal buildings to commemorate firefighters who had been killed.

L. 107–51 (text) (PDF) requires this action to occur annually in conjunction with observance of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.

The Finnish flag flying at half-mast after the 2011 Norway attacks
The American flag flying at half-mast in Buchenwald , Thuringia , Nazi Germany , on 19 April 1945 after the death of US President Franklin Roosevelt
The Australian White Ensign flying at half-mast. In accordance with British tradition , the flag is flying only one flag's width below the top of the pole.
The Brazilian flag flying at half-mast beside the Mercosul flag in front of the National Congress of Brazil in memory of the victims of the Chapecoense crash on 29 November 2016
The flag of Canada , the flag of Québec , and the flag of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets are half-masted on board Bagotville Cadet Summer Training Centre, following the train derailment and explosion in Lac Mégantic, Québec .
The flag of Canada at half-mast outside the Joseph Shepard Building in Toronto , following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , 2021
Chinese flag at half-mast as a sign of mourning for the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
Cuban flag at half-mast for the state funeral of former leader Fidel Castro , 2016
Black ribbons indicate mourning on banners that cannot be lowered to half-mast.
Hong Kong SAR flag flown at half mast
Indian flag flown at half-mast at the Red Fort
Flags in Israel at half mast on the eve of Yom HaShoah
Flag of Pahang is flown at half-mast at the Chin Swee Caves Temple as a mark of respect to the late Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang . The flag of Malaysia and Selangor are not at half-mast as a result of different mourning periods.
The Mausoleum (There are 7 tombs out of 9 tombs who are victims of the assassination inside it)
Aung San in his occasional uniform
Two flags half-mast at the Martinitoren in Groningen , Netherlands
New Zealand flag at half-mast to mark the death of Sir Edmund Hillary
Norwegian flag at half-staff to mourn the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks
Philippine flag at half-staff at Rizal Park a few days after the death of former president Noynoy Aquino .
The flag of Saudi Arabia is never flown at half-mast.
Flags of Singapore outside The Fullerton Hotel Singapore were flown at half-mast to mark the death of Lee Kuan Yew .
ROC (Taiwan) national flag flown half mast at the Presidential Office Building
Thai national flag flown at half mast at Assumption College (Thailand) Bangkok during the mourning of the King Bhumibol
Turkish flags at half mast after the 2016 Atatürk Airport attack
Oratory Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Oxford , with the flag of the Holy See flying at half-mast the day after the death of Pope John Paul II
The Union Flag flying at half-mast, following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , 2021
The flag at the Capitol Building flies at half-staff in honor of President Ronald Reagan , 2004.
The United States flag flying at half-staff in memorial of the September 11 attacks in New York City, Sept. 11, 2014.
The flag of Vietnam at half-mast for General Võ Nguyên Giáp 's funeral