Dublin refuses to remove Irish flags amid fierce immigration debate

Dublin City Council has opted against removing Irish tricolour flags from the city, citing potential risks amid a heated debate over immigration and national identity.

The flags have become a contentious symbol, dividing communities and serving as a flashpoint in wider discussions about immigration.

While no specific group has claimed responsibility for hanging them, far-right activists have emerged as their most vocal defenders.

In a statement released on Friday, the council said: "Dublin City Council has engaged with stakeholders and reviewed the factors and risks associated with the ongoing issue. Following this, the Council has concluded that removing such flags at this time would be counterproductive."

Instead of removal, the council plans to "take a positive and proactive approach", working with local communities and civic partners to "promote a deeper understanding of the Irish flag".

When pressed for further details on why the removal would be counterproductive, a council spokesperson declined to elaborate, stating they had "nothing to add to its statement".

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One councillor, Janet Horner of the Green Party, said in October that there was "big tension" in the council between those who wanted the flags removed and those who want to avoid confrontation.

The Irish Times reported on Friday that some flags had been recently taken down by a group of anti-racism activists.

Supporters have said the flags, which are informally attached to lamp-posts without permission, are an expression of patriotism.

They mirror a similar campaign taking place across England.

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Opponents say they are designed to intimidate and to mark neighbourhoods as being for non-immigrants only.

Ireland, historically a country of emigration driven by poverty, has generally become more prosperous this century and seen a particularly sharp rise in immigration in recent years.

Anti-immigrant activists helped trigger large-scale rioting in Dublin in 2023 and clashed with police outside a building housing asylum seekers on the outskirts of the city in October.

The government introduced measures to tighten immigration rules this week, which the justice minister said were aimed at slowing a "worryingly" high rate of population growth.