A special meeting of Carlow County Council is to be convened this week to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
Cathaoirleach Fintan Phelan wants the body to support the calls for the expulsion of the Russian Ambassador and has called for an online gathering of councillors in the county this Wednesday.
He’s told KCLR News “The Russian Ambassador and Russian personnel, intelligence and defence personnel, that are operating in this country should be expelled from Ireland and I think if every local authority in the country passed similar motions, and I know a number of other local authorities are doing likewise, I think it sends a strong message that the Russian Ambassador must go, that what is happening is completely unacceptable”.
Cllr Phelan believes it’s important that the local authority show its support for the people of Ukraine; “We didn’t think we’d see a conflict like this again you know playing out live on our news feeds, you know and these are real people, real peoples lives that are being impacted it’s just absolutely shocking and I think as a local authority we stand fully with the people of Ukraine, people locally in Carlow and further afield in the region, we stand in solidarity with them, they must be completely and totally beside themselves with worry about their families back in Ukraine and our thoughts are just with them”.
