No action to be taken on Irish flags

"Welcome" signs should be erected under the many Irish flags that have recently been erected along the roads in Navan, Cllr Alan Lawes told last week's meeting of Navan Municipal Council.

Cllr Lawes said those who had erected the flags, were hijacking the Irish tricolour "which stands for peace, unity and respect" .

"They are there to intimidate and as bait. They want us to pull them down," he said.

Cllr Emer Tóibín had raised the issue and asked if the council would be taking action.

"For some people it is causing considerable unease, some people are happy about it. What approach are the council going to take," she asked.

The Mayor, Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons said that government had kicked the can on this issue, down to the councils. "It is very divisive," he said.

Cllr Lawes said the far right had erected the flags around the town "as bait."

"They want a reaction. The flags can be intimidating, especially near schools.

"They want Alan Lawes or Emer Toibin to pull them down, so then they can then go and rant about it.

"These people have no relevance in the town. They don't do do any good work for Navan., but they want to be seen. I don't want to see the flags pulled down. We should put welcome messages under each flag. Our flag signifies peace.

"I'd like to congratulate the council on putting out a welcoming message to migrants on social media," he said.

Director of Services, Martin Murray, said that the council does not have a specific policy on the flags and were not going to take any action. "It is not a Navan issue or a Meath issue. It is a national issue," he said.