Cork County Mayor apologises over appearing to support asylum seeker blockade

The Mayor of Cork County has apologised for what he called “any offence that I may have caused” through comments he made which appeared to support a blockade in Fermoy against asylum seekers coming to a house in the town.

At a public meeting about applicants for international protection earlier this month, Cllr Frank O’Flynn was challenged by anti-immigration activist Derek Blighe over whether he would support a blockade outside a house where asylum seekers were to be housed, and he twice replied, “No problem”.

In a statement, Cllr O’Flynn has said he was not involved in organising the meeting and had no knowledge of who was attending it, but had gone along after being invited by a local group concerned about the suitability of the proposed premises at St James Place in Fermoy.

“As I have openly stated, I wanted to ensure that the process of accommodation was suitable both in terms of the town of Fermoy, its community, and the international protection applicants. I was prepared to stand with my community to ensure this process was adhered to,” he said.

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“Let me reiterate, I have no objection to persons seeking international protection and have always adopted an approach of inclusivity and diversity. I would like to apologise for any offence that I may have caused and regret any interpretation that is contrary to my fundamental beliefs.”

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Former Labour senator John Gilroy said Cllr O’Flynn’s comments appeared to suggest he was supporting a blockade.

“Last week the Mayor of Cork County aligned himself with a far-right group by supporting a call to blockade a refugee centre in Fermoy. It was ascribed at the time to a lack of judgment. We’ve seen what the far-right did in Dublin on Thursday night – they brought shame on our capital city and country.”

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Mr Gilroy, who is no longer involved in politics and is no longer a member of the Labour Party, said Cllr O’Flynn had “brought disgrace to our county and should resign”.

In his statement, Cllr O’Flynn said he strongly condemned what he called the “abhorrent” scenes witnessed in Dublin on Thursday night, which Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blamed on a “lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology”.

“It was utterly repulsive to see, and I hope will never be seen again,” the Mayor said. “I also wish to confirm that I do not stand with or alongside the far-right movement, or any persons who represent this position.”