A resident of Dublin's Orwell Road, where the Russian Embassy is located, has said it would have been a better idea to consult residents first on a proposal to rename the road in support of Ukraine.
A proposal to change the name of Orwell Road to 'Independent Ukraine Road' has been unanimously passed by a sub-committee of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Councillor Peter O'Brien said the next step is to consult residents on the proposal.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said he does not envisage this to be a problem as they share the same solidarity.
However, local resident Dr Ronan Collins, who lives opposite the embassy, criticised how the proposal had been conducted, saying that residents should have been consulted first and there is now public pressure to agree to it.
He said if the proposal does not pass, it will insinuate that residents are anti-Ukraine.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Dr Collins described the way the council had moved on the issue as "insulting".
"The proposal might well have some merit but I think that the way it's been gone about is slightly unfortunate. I think it insinuates that if the residents of Orwell Road don't want to change the name of the road then somehow they could be perceived as being not in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and I think that's not how you should do things," he said.
He said he would have given the proposal some consideration if it had been brought to residents in private.
However, he said that given the way the proposal has been brought about, he probably would not vote as "it somehow insinuates that we would be anti-Ukraine" if it did not pass.
"The residents of Orwell Road unanimously stand with the people of Ukraine in this terrible war, and we are all praying for peace today and hopefully the negotiations in Turkey will bring an end to a terrible conflict," he said.
There have been regular protests outside the embassy since the invasion began on 24 February, and Dr Collins said residents have been very supportive of these.
"The residents have been very supportive … the residents are not inconvenienced, we are fully supportive of the protests, the residents are also very used to protests outside the embassy … and we all stand in solidarity with people who protest on the side of human rights and justice," he said.
Speaking on the same programme, local Fine Gael councillor Jim O'Leary said there was little that he could disagree with Dr Collins on, adding that "it could have been done more sensitively".
"The people of Ireland are disgusted with the invasion, and we want to give this message to the Russian embassy," he said.
Mr O'Leary said officials now have to look at the motion, as there is "administrative uncertainty as to whether councillors can take the initiative", adding that it was important there was consultation with residents.
"The intention would be that it is a permanent change," he said.
He said he agreed that this would be a big change for the residents, adding "someone has to take the initiative".
"We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that it is sending an important, clear loud message to the Russian state that people in Ireland are not happy," he added.
