Firefighters in New York City have been smeared as “fascists” and ordered to remove a flag honoring heroes who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks.
NYC Fire Department (FDNY) officials ordered an East Village ladder company to remove its “red line” American flag honoring the squad’s six brothers killed on 9/11.
The move came after a neighborhood resident complained the flag was “fascist” and an NYC Democrat suffered a meltdown and accused the firefighters of promoting a “politically charged symbol.”
The shocking order came March 22 after a man claiming he was a staffer for Democrat Manhattan Councilwoman Carlina Rivera confronted firefighters at Ladder Co. 11, sources reportedly told the New York Post.
The man pedaled up to the East 2nd Street firehouse on a bicycle and told firefighters he worked for Rivera.
He said that the councilwoman’s office “complained” to the FDNY three days earlier about the “fascist” flag.
The aide told the firefighters that their flag – which features a red stripe in tribute to firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty – is a “fascist symbol.”
He then asserted that Rivera was outraged over the flag 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 violates 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.
The firefighters were told their “politically charged symbol” violated a department prohibition of “altered” versions of the American flag.
The rule was implemented in 2020 by then-Commissioner Daniel Nigro and then-First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh during the height of the far-left anti-police Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots, sources said.
Schiralli reportedly told the firefighters he agreed with them that it was “ridiculous” to remove the flag.
The order sparked immediate outrage on social media.
Conservative Instagram influencer Rogan O’Handley posted a photo of the flag and said:
“NY firefighters were forced to take down a memorial for those that died on 9/11.
“What’s happened to NYC?!”
Hours later, now-Commissioner Kavanagh and Chief of Department John Hodgens reversed the decision and allowed the flag back on the truck.
“We’re happy with the outcome of this — but we’re offended it happened in the first place,” said a Ladder 11 firefighter.
“This flag has huge significance for us.”
Ladder Company 11 displays its red line flag next to a memorial placard on the back of its fire truck.
The placard honoring Lt. Michael Quilty and Firefighters Michael Cammarata, Edward Day, John Hefferman, Richard Kelly Jr., and Matthew Rogan – all of whom were heroic patriots who were killed responding to the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“I wish [Rivera’s office] would have come at it like ‘Hey, we want to learn about the flag and what it represents’ before they asked for it to be taken down,’” said another Ladder 11 fireman.
Rivera insisted to The Post that her office never contacted Ladder Co. 11 about the issue, and that the initial complainant was a constituent, not a staffer.
She said her office sent the March 19 email to the FDNY asking whether “political symbols are on display” at the ladder company only after the constituent questioned the flag’s legality in an email to her staff.
“We have heard nothing further from the FDNY and have taken no additional action on this matter,” said Rivera.
“My relationship with Ladder 11 has always been strong,” she added.
Rivera, a former dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, voted to defund the NYPD by $1 billion in 2020.
The radical Democrat also routinely ripped cops that same year during the violent BLM riots.
Some FDNY sources said they believe all the fuss about the flag stemmed from confusion between a red-line flag and a blue-line American flag.
The blue-line flag is typically displayed to honor police officers injured or killed in the line of duty.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who chairs the fire and emergency management committee, called the flag-removal debacle a “sanctioned attack on the First Amendment rights of our civil servants.”
“Radicalism and censorship are sadly becoming the norm in American politics,” she said.
