Fire Department brass ordered an East Village ladder company to remove its “red line” American flag honoring the squad’s six brothers killed on 9/11 – after a neighborhood resident complained it was “fascist” and a local lefty pol questioned whether it was a “politically charged symbol.”
The shocking order came March 22 after a man claiming he was a staffer for Democratic Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera confronted firefighters at Ladder Co. 11, sources said.
The man pedaled up to the East 2nd Street firehouse on a bicycle and told firefighters he worked for Rivera and that the councilwoman’s office “complained” to the FDNY three days earlier about the flag – which features a red stripe in tribute of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.
He called it a “fascist symbol” and demanded to know why it was still up, sources said.
In a March 19 email to FDNY Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinator Madison Hernandez, Rivera staffer Lisander Rosario said the councilwoman’s office was contacted by the “constituent” twice about the ladder company’s flag and asked if it’s violating department rules.
“[FDNY staff] claimed it was to honor deceased firefighters, however, [the constituent] brought up that they could’ve used an FDNY flag rather than a politically charged symbol,” Rosario wrote.
“It is to both his and our understanding that private political symbols aren’t permitted to be displayed on public vehicles.”
“Can you confirm if there are any violating flags/symbols on Ladder 11?” added the email, which was obtained by The Post.
Hours after the “constituent” left the firehouse, FDNY Deputy Chief Joseph Schiralli visited firefighters there and reluctantly said the flag must come off the fire truck because it violated a department prohibition of “altered” versions of the American flag. --->READ MORE HERE
Fury as FDNY firefighters are forced to remove Stars and Stripes honoring 9/11 heroes after Democrat lawmaker branded it a 'fascist symbol'
Authorities at the New York City Fire Department commanded a ladder company in the East Village to remove a flag honoring six of the company's men who perished on 9/11 after a resident complained it was a 'fascist' symbol.
The order arrived on March 22 after a man who the New York Post reports claimed to be a staffer for progressive Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, confronted firefighters at Ladder Company 11.
The man pulled up to the firehouse on a bike and told firefighters he works for Rivera and that the politician's office had complained several days earlier about the flag.
The 'thin red line' flag, which is a black-and-white American flag with a red line across the middle, is meant to show solidarity with firefighters who have fallen or been injured on the job.
The man reportedly called the flag a 'fascist symbol' and asked to know why it remained up.
The 'thin blue line' flag, which is designed similarly to the firefighter's version, serves a similar purpose among police officers, but has in recent years been used by the 'Blue Lives Matter' movement and has therefore assumed a political meaning.
The thin blue line flag is largely hailed as a sign of police solidarity, but in the wake of 2020 and even in the years leading up to it, some - mostly on the political left - have criticized it as a symbol of white supremacy.
Ladder Company 11 displays the flag beside a memorial sign on the back of its truck that commemorates the lives and service of Lieutenant Michael Quilty and Firefighters Michael Cammarata, Edward Day, John Heffernan, Richard Kelly Jr., and Matthew Rogan - all of whom were killed while responding to the 9/11 terror attacks. --->READ MORE HERE
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