Pride flags cut down and set on fire again in Waterford City as Mayor slams “truly despicable act”

It is the second time in recent days that Pride flags have been cut down and set alight in Waterford.

Pride flags in Waterford City have been cut down and set on fire overnight once again in what Mayor of Waterford Damien Geoghegan has slammed as "a truly despicable act". In a Twitter post on Saturday morning, the Mayor stated the incident had been reported to the Gardaí. The new flags had been raised at Waterford City and County Council's buildings at the Mall following another incident in the early hours of last Monday in which Pride flags were taken down and burned. The flags were set up to mark Waterford's 'Pride of the Deise' weekend, a celebration of the LGBT community. The 'Pride of the Deise' festival took place primarily online over last weekend with events aimed at adults and teens taking place over recent days. Earlier in the week, Gardaí said they arrested a man in his 40s in connection with the burning of the Pride flags. Following this second incident in which Pride flags have been cut down in Waterford, the Mayor said: "Once again it’s my sad duty to report that the Pride Flags were cut down overnight and removed from the flagpoles on The Mall. "A truly despicable act. It’s now once again in the hands of the Gardaí."

Once again it’s my sad duty to report that the Pride Flags were cut down overnight and removed from the flagpoles on The Mall. A truly despicable act. It’s now once again in the hands of the Gardai. pic.twitter.com/cJgTrWqyOv

— Mayor Damien Geoghegan (@damiengeoghegan) June 12, 2021

In a statement to JOE, a Garda spokesperson said on Saturday: "Gardaí in Waterford are investigating an incident of criminal damage where a number of flags were set alight at The Mall, Waterford in the early hours of this morning, Saturday 12 June, 2021. "Gardaí attended the scene at approximately 8.15am this morning Saturday when they were alerted to the incident." The spokesperson said investigations into the incident are ongoing.