Bill Gertz of the Washington Times reports a disturbing decision from leaders of a major left coast city.

San Francisco’s government raised the Chinese flag over city hall last week to mark the founding of the People’s Republic of China 73 years ago.

The city government’s action was carried out despite Beijing’s ongoing genocide in western China, as well as propaganda support for Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The flag-raising took place during a ceremony on Friday with city and Chinese officials and local business representatives, according to Chinese state media.

Oct. 1 was the anniversary of the founding of the communist state that critics say has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people since the Chinese Communist Party seized power in 1949. A spokesman for San Francisco Mayor London Breed referred questions about the flag-raising to the press office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

San Francisco in the past has flown the Chinese flag on that date noting its close ties to the Beijing government.

“San Francisco, as well as California, has very strong ties with China,” Mr. Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We’re trying to evolve that more and more. That’s not to say that we diminish the right of people to protest what they believe in. I think that’s appropriate as well. I think we in San Francisco can accommodate both.”

In recent years, San Francisco has been dealing with homelessness, drug markets and sewage problems.

The drug problem in the U.S. has worsened by the importation of Chinese-produced fentanyl and fentanyl precursors coming in through Mexico.

More than 100,000 people died from fentanyl-related overdoses in the past year.

Zhang Jianmin, China’s consul general in San Francisco, was on hand for the flag-raising Friday along with Meron Foster, senior protocol officer at the San Francisco mayor’s office, the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated China Daily reported.