Cork City Council votes to revoke George Mitchell's freedom of the city
Senator George Mitchell receiving the freedom scroll from then lord mayor of Cork Joe O'Flynn at City Hall in 1998. File picture: Dan Linehan
Cork City Council is looking into revoking the freedom of the city given to former US senator George Mitchell over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Mitchell, a member of the Democratic party, served as US special envoy for the North from 1995 to 2001 and was key to brokering the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
The freedom of Cork was conferred upon Mr Mitchell in 1998, at the request of the then lord mayor Joe O'Flynn, to recognise his role in the peace process.
At Monday night’s meeting of Cork City Council, a motion by Solidarity-People Before Profit councillor Brian McCarthy, calling for Mr Mitchell's freedom of Cork to be revoked, was passed, with 19 votes in favour and nine against.
Council management indicated that revoking the freedom of the city was “uncharted territory” and was not easy to action.
Mr McCarthy’s motion read: “Former US Senator George Mitchell has been proved to have been lying when he said he cut all ties with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted. He continued to have contact with him and may even have met him.”
His motion commended the US-Ireland Alliance for removing his name from their scholarship programme and Queen’s University Belfast for removing his name from the Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice and removing a bust of him from campus.
“This motion calls on Cork City Council to follow their example and show we stand with survivors by revoking the freedom of Cork given to Mitchell in 1998.”
Mr McCarthy received cross-party support for his motion, with Fine Gael’s Shane O’Callaghan speaking in favour of it.
Mr O’Callaghan told the after the meeting: “I’m a big believer in due process, and he hasn’t been convicted of anything, but no one has been prosecuted for being clients of Epstein, and the way things are looking in America, no one is likely to be prosecuted.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for Cork City Council to have any association with someone about whom very serious allegations have been made by a credible witness, and who has been demonstrated to have continued a friendship with Epstein after his 2008 conviction and lied about it.”
A spokesperson for Cork City Council told the : “There is currently no established policy for revoking the freedom of the city.
“The executive of Cork City Council notes the vote taken by city councillors on Monday night, May 11, in relation to this matter.
“However, the executive can find no legislative basis for revoking the freedom of the city in this, or in any other case, and will need to consider the legislative and practical implications of the vote.
“It is important to note that former senator Mitchell has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing and has denied allegations of wrongdoing.”
In February, Belfast City Council called for Mr Mitchell’s freedom of Belfast to be revoked. No progress has been made on the issue.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
