Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy received widespread criticism from fellow councillors who claimed she used the nomination of Greta Thunberg for the Freedom of Dublin City for "headline fodder" to furnish the credentials of the Green Party.
There were also criticisms of the Green Party councillor's handling of the nominations. Dublin environmentalist and former host of Eco Eye Duncan Stewart was also nominated for the award.
Despite the disapproval, both nominees were awarded the freedom of City by Dublin city councillors.
Cllrs focused their ire on the contrasting political views in the Green Party and those of Ms Thunberg as well as last week's damning EPA report into Ireland's failing climate change goals.
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Independent Cllr Cieran Perry said: "The irony of the Irish Green Party looking for some reflected glory from a genuine anti-capitalist environmentalist will not be lost on most people. We saw last week's EPA report that Ireland will not meet their emission targets by 2030 by a wide margin.
Cllr Nial Ring told the meeting he believed the nomination was coming from the higher-ups in the Green Party. He said: "I fully respect the rights of the Lord Mayor to make a nomination for the Freedom of the City.
"However, in this case, I think the nomination of Greta Thunberg is coming from the Green Party hierarchy rather than the Lord Mayor. It is no coincidence that the nomination of Greta Thunberg comes a few days after the Government was rightly slammed by the EPA for our well below par efforts on decarbonisation"
Cllr Ring added that Great Thunberg would likely ask herself how she could receive the freedom of a capital city from a country that the Taoiseach calls an environmental laggard. Cllr Ring did also apologise "unreservedly" for comments he made previously on radio after the Lord Mayor took issue with them.
Mannix Flynn did not support the nominations as the process was "undemocratic" and accused the Lord Mayor of "barring the press" from a meeting of the Protocol Committee where Cllrs discussed the nominations. Dublin Live was asked to leave that meeting due to "private individuals [the nominees] being discussed".
He said: "I would go so far as to say this whole process now renders the Freedom of the City meaningless for anybody that has it or those who get it in the future.
"It is an absolute disgrace that you would nominate these two individuals that speak about the environment and the city in the disgraceful state that it is in at the moment - up to its knees in filth and dirt. It is outrageous and greenwashing of the highest order."
Cllr Flynn added that if Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy was not leaving the position soon he would "call for her resignation".
Sinn Fein's Micheal MacDonncha denied the press were barred and said the usual procedure was followed. The group leaders discussed the nominations at a meeting on Tuesday last week before the Protocol Committee convened the next day.
Cllr Christy Ring told last night's meeting the Lord Mayor had "bypassed" the group leaders. However, Lord Mayor Conroy said "it did not take place behind closed doors".
Cllr Sophie Nicoullaud said it was "ridiculous" the "capitalist" Green Party had offered the award to Greta when she is anti-capitalist. She and two other Cllrs wrote to Greta to call on her not to accept the award.
Green Party leader on the council Michael Pidgeon defended the Lord Mayor's nomination. He said: "I have heard Greta Thunberg shouldn't get it because she is not Irish or because she is not directly connected to Dublin. And most of the time these awards are going to go to Dubs.
"But it is not as if we are waiting for the emperor and the empress of Japan waiting for the 68 bus and they won in 1985. We don't see Mikhail Gorbachev going for a pint in Grogan's or something like that - he won in 2001.
"The Freedom of the City will mostly go to Dubs but it is mostly to celebrate people that made a substantial contribution that the city wants to honour."
Social Democrat Cllr Karl Stanley blasted the move. He said: "The cynicism and hypocrisy is palpable.
"I can't let it pass... This is an attempt to use the truly unimpeachable reputation of a truly excellent campaigner to try and furnish your own [the Green Party's] credentials."
Cllr Dermot Lacey jumped to the defence of Lord Mayor Conroy. He said: "This is one of the saddest debates I have seen on this City Council to be honest with you.
"Always in the past the granting of the Freedom of the City was a moment of celebration and if people had difficulties it would be dealt with behind closed doors.
"I would be really sorry if we went down this road in the future. It is appropriate in my view that the Green Party would nominate a strong environmentalist for the Freedom of the City".
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