By Conor Humphries
DUBLIN (Reuters) -Right-wing activists are lining the streets of Dublin with Irish tricolour flags in a campaign that is dividing communities and fuelling a bitter debate about immigration.
Supporters say the flags, informally attached to lamp-posts without permission, are a simple expression of patriotism - and many react furiously to the idea of restricting the flying of the national flag.
Opponents say the flags, which mirror a similar campaign in England, are designed to intimidate and to mark neighbourhoods as being for non-immigrants only.
"I've never been embarrassed of the Irish flag, but I think it's now being used as a flag of hate," said Ashley Nelson, a 52-year-old civil servant, whose neighbourhood was one of the first where flags appeared. "This is racism, this is 'Ireland for the Irish'; it's disgusting."
While no group has admitted to raising the flags, far-right activists are their loudest defenders. Some locals sympathetic to the flags voice openly anti-immigrant views.
"You can't blame the people, losing their heads putting flags up. These (immigrants) are going around as if they own the place," said Martin Kidd, 62.
He described the inner city as having "gone down an awful lot" due to the rise in the number of immigrants over the past 20 years. He said if local authorities tried to remove the flags, "there'll be resistance".
Forty-seven percent of the inhabitants of Dublin’s North Inner City local electoral area were born outside Ireland, according to the 2022 census, compared to 25% for Dublin county as a whole.
Ireland, historically a country of emigration driven by poverty, is almost unique in Europe in having no far-right members of parliament.
But this century it has generally become more prosperous, and the greater ethnic mix on its streets bears witness to its pull on migrants.
Recent years have brought a sharp rise in the profile of anti-immigrant groups, however, as thousands have rallied to demand curbs on immigration.
Anti-immigrant activists helped trigger large-scale rioting in Dublin in 2023 and there have been arson attacks on asylum-seeker accommodation.
Authorities have so far done nothing to curb the spread of the flags, which are also appearing in other towns.
"Inaction is creating an environment where a low level of intimidation towards ethnic minorities is tolerated and permitted," said North Inner City Councillor Janet Horner, complaining of "big tension" in the council between those who want action and those who want to avoid confrontation.
Dublin City Council said it was reviewing the issue with local representatives, and that a "comprehensive risk assessment" was required before flags could be removed.
Eoin Meehan, a North Inner City resident aged 58, said: "I can tell you now, if they take them down, there'll be twice as many put up."
While several recent immigrants said they were not aware of anti-immigrant symbolism, many who came longer ago and people from racial minorities said they were deeply disturbed.
"I will look at an area like that and be like, 'Oh, maybe they don't want me here', which is so messed up," said Ahmed Karim Tamu, a 25-year-old activist and rapper whose parents moved to Ireland from Sierra Leone. "It's really upsetting."
(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
