Radical left and Islamists share symbols, author argues

Western radical-left groups have adopted symbols and slogans shared by Islamist movements that want religious law to shape society, Elliði Vignisson argues in an opinion article published by Morgunblaðið. He says such laws conflict with Western values of freedom, equality and human dignity.

The Palestinian flag primarily represents the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, Vignisson writes. But in recent years it has also appeared at a range of protests and marches, from Eurovision and demonstrations in France to May Day marches in Iceland. Its meaning in those settings, he says, is shaped by the slogans, allies and causes alongside it. Citing Patrick West, Vignisson argues that the flag has become a broader symbol of opposition to Western culture.

Scholars have described how Palestine became a symbolic cause for the international left from the late 1960s, linked to anti-imperialism and national liberation struggles. Vignisson calls the resulting cooperation between Islamists and the radical left a “red-green alliance”, united by opposition to capitalism, globalisation and imperialism. He notes that the Muslim Association of Britain formally joined the Stop the War Coalition, led by the Socialist Workers Party, and that parts of the radical left later joined Muslim activists in the Respect coalition.

In Iceland, the Palestinian cause has brought together left-wing parties, Palestinian organisations and parts of the labour and student movements, he writes. In 2023, the parliamentary group of the Left-Green Movement invited the Iceland-Palestine Association to a meeting on Icelandic action. The central board of ASÍ, Iceland’s labour movement, also supported the association’s calls for pressure on Israel.

In 2026, the Iceland-Palestine Association urged people to bring Palestinian flags to a labour movement march and described the campaign for a free Palestine as intertwined with labour struggles. That year, a boycott campaign was presented as a collaboration involving BDS Iceland, the Iceland-Palestine Association, Academics for Palestine and the University of Akureyri Student Association, among others. Vignisson says these examples show how the Palestinian cause has become a shared political platform for the groups, and how the Palestinian flag has come to symbolise opposition for parts of the left.

Vignisson argues that the cooperation is not harmless. He says Islamists seek to shape society according to religious rules, at the expense of women’s freedom, human rights and minority rights. Parts of the radical left, he writes, say they defend secular society, gender equality and the rights of LGBTQ people, yet join Islamists in opposing Western governments, capitalism and even liberal democracy.

He points to what he describes as a contradiction between Islamist aims and the values of equality and individual freedom that the left says it supports. He cites figures showing women’s labour-force participation in the West Bank was 17.8 per cent in 2024, compared with 73.4 per cent for men. A 2013 Pew survey found that 4 per cent of respondents in the Palestinian territories believed society should accept homosexuality. Vignisson also says about 30 per cent of Danish Muslims support Hamas, which he describes as a terrorist organisation.

He concludes that the figures and other comparable data point to a society few would want to take as a model or fight for.