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Mystery Palestinian flag continues to fly high over Dublin as removal deemed too risky
TL;DR
A Palestinian flag has been flying over Dublin's Spire for seven months, with city authorities unable to remove it due to safety concerns. Various removal methods have been deemed too risky or impractical.
Key points
- Palestinian flag has been on Dublin's Spire for seven months
- City authorities deemed removal methods too risky
- Various options like cranes and ladders were considered
What goes up must come down – unless it’s a Palestinian flag at the top of Dublin’s tallest monument that no one knows how to remove.
The flag appeared on the 120-metre Spire on O’Connell Street last September and for seven months it has defied every proposed measure to take it down. Who installed it and how remains a mystery.
City authorities have considered options such as climbing ropes, “bespoke ladders” and a 300-tonne crane, but rejected them as too dangerous, expensive or futile.
“Someone could just come along again and drop another flag on the Spire,” an engineer told Dublin city council, according to internal correspondence reported in the Irish Times this week. “We have probably taken the options for accessing the Spire from the ground up as far as we can at this stage.”
The flag is hard to see from street level as it often becomes tangled. Photograph: Donopics/Alamy
A brisk wind on Wednesday fluttered the small, green, red and black of Palestine high above traffic and pedestrians. Media interviews suggest many are oblivious to the flag as it often gets tangled and is difficult to see, but once notified of its presence, approve. Ireland is one of the EU’s most outspoken critics of Israeli action in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign welcomed the stunt. “This is some feat of acrobatics or ingenuity, or both! The streets are with Palestine!” it posted on X.
No individual or group has claimed responsibility, but the flag is suspected to have been dropped by a drone. It is attached to a hoop and is about 105 metres up the Spire, a stainless steel structure that resembles a needle.
Q&A
Why is the Palestinian flag still on Dublin's Spire?
The flag remains because city authorities have found removal methods too dangerous or impractical.
What attempts have been made to remove the flag from the Spire?
Authorities considered using climbing ropes, bespoke ladders, and a 300-tonne crane, but all options were rejected as too risky or expensive.
Who installed the Palestinian flag on the Spire in Dublin?
The identity of the person or group that installed the flag remains a mystery.
