Palestinian flag flies, briefly, at Cavan Courthouse

The flying of the Palestinian flag at Cavan Courthouse last weekend was short lived after gardaí asked for it to be taken down, in what organisers of the council-sanctioned event are calling a “blow”.

Around 40 people had gathered outside the public building on Mothers’ Day (Sunday March 30) to remember the mothers who have lost their lives in Gaza.

Organised by the Cavan Branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the group wanted to use the occasion to remember those in Gaza by raising the Palestinian flag outside the council offices.

Mothers, fathers and children were among the members of the public gathered for the event, along with elected representatives Senator Pauline Tully (SF), Cllr Noel Connell (SF), Cllr John Paul Feely (FG) and council staff who came to raise the flag, lay flowers for the lives lost and listen to poetry about motherhood.

However, before the group reached the latter part of their vigil, five members of An Garda Síochána intervened.

“They were raising their voices and telling us to take that down now, in reference to the flag,” claimed secretary of the group, Megan de Siún, who was at the vigil.

“They didn’t ask us if we had permission or engage in a discussion with us before making the demands and raising their voices,” she contended.

She said the group produced their permission letter from Cavan County Council.

“It was a council-sanctioned ceremony that we had and we had our elected officials at the ceremony,” continued Ms de Siún.

“One of them [gardaí] stated that they had received a complaint but, when we pressed them on that, they wouldn’t provide any further information.”

The secretary said that gardaí “strongly insisted that we had to remove the flag and any accompanying flowers” by the time a court sitting commenced at 2pm later that day.

“When I asked them why it was necessary to remove it, they did tell me that the judge may object,” she said.

The Gardaí left and the group continued their ceremony. Despite having permission from Cavan County Council to raise the flag for the day, they removed the flag and the flowers when their vigil finished.

“We did tell them that we weren’t going to remove it until we had completed our ceremony because we had full permission to do that.

“The garda response felt hugely disproportionate to have so many garda to show up.”

She added: “It feels like there is a disconnect between what we and the council are trying to do and their [Garda] reaction to it.

“It feels like a real blow to peaceful and legal activism in Cavan to be treated like this, but we wont be letting it ruin the wonderful meaning of the event.”

The group secretary said they plan on “engaging further” with the council and An Garda Síochána “to find a resolution” to continue their “attempts” to “work together for human rights causes in Cavan”.

She said that this month, a UN investigation concluded that “at least two acts of genocide against women and reproductive rights has taken place in Gaza”.

Megan said that the event in Cavan was a “beautiful moment” to stand beneath the Palestinian flag at the courthouse building.

She said the group were “shoulder to shoulder with our elected officials in saying that it’s mothers who give us life and the targeted destruction of that life and mothers’ rights is unacceptable.

“We’re so pleased and so thankful that the council have stood up in solidarity with us and that they have taken the opportunity to make Cavan again one of the first councils to fly the Palestinian flag in Ireland.

“It’s a really, really great achievement.”

A spokesperson from Cavan County Council confirmed to the Celt on Monday that the local authority “gave permission for the gathering and the flag raising, on foot of a request from Cllr Stiofán Conaty”.

A spokesperson from An Garda Síochána stated that gardaí attended the grounds of Cavan Courthouse on Sunday where there was “an event” taking place.

“There is no obligation on event organisers to contact An Garda Síochána in advance of such events, but many do. In this instance, there was no contact by the event organisers with An Garda Síochána,” the spokesperson stated.

“As a flag other than the national flag of Ireland was flying from an official flagpole, enquiries were made of the event organisers in relation to same.

It was established that Cavan County Council had given permission for the event and for the flying of a flag,” the spokesperson confirmed.

“The event passed off without incident and the flag was taken down upon conclusion.”