asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state whether he received a satisfactory reply to his strong protest to the British Government on the 31st January last in reference to a case in Armagh where an Irishman was charged with and convicted of displaying the Irish flag; and further, whether his attention has been directed to a recent case where an American visitor had the Irish flag removed from his car by the R.U.C. officers and if he has made any protest in this matter and, if so, with what result.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Display of Irish Flag.
Mr. Brady
I regret to say that the answer to the first part of the question is in the negative.
My attention has been drawn to the recent case in which an Irish flag was removed from an American visitor's car by the R.U.C., but no additional protest was made as regards that particular case. I do not want to give the impression of that our objection is to the enforcement of this outrageous law in particular cases. The ground of our objection is the existence of a law which makes it an offence to possess or display the Irish flag.