CORK, IRELAND — Cork City Council has removed a number of Irish tricolour flags that were controversially displayed on public lampposts after receiving multiple complaints from residents who claimed the flags were being used as a method of intimidation and “to assert racism” against non-Irish people.
Residents pleaded with the local authority to take down the flags, citing concerns that they were being hung by ‘masked men in the dead of night’ with the intent to frighten and intimidate non-Irish communities.
One concerned resident wrote: “I was wondering if you had a plan to take care of this and send a message out that Cork is a place that welcomes everyone and that does not condone racism.”
Disrespect and Illegal Display
Several complaints also focused on the disrespectful and potentially illegal manner in which the national flag was displayed. Residents noted that many were flown “at half-mast,” and most were simply attached to lampposts with cable ties, which is considered disrespectful to the flag’s true meaning and to those who died for it.
Another person strongly objected to the “hijacking of our national flag by [right-wing] actors” and cited the Constitution, noting that the tricolour is intended to be displayed only from sunrise to sunset, except on special occasions.
Council Response and Objector
The flags were subsequently removed by the council. Following the removal, one complaint was received objecting to the action, calling the council “anti-Irish Marxists” for removing the tricolour while previously allowing flags like the Ukraine flag and the ‘queer flag’ to be hoisted.
In response, Cork City Council stated that the removal was a “routine operational matter” based on health and safety grounds. A spokesman clarified that the council does not permit the attaching of any items to public street light poles without prior approval and that legislation grants local authorities the power to remove unauthorised articles from public places.
