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“No, I do not agree with putting up the rainbow flag. We should put our Canadian flag up. I put my Canadian flag up in the window,” Mayor Ford told reporters as he marched outside to inspect his own flag. “This is the Olympics. This is about being patriotic to your country. This is not about your sexual preference,” he added, later retorting “let Russia do what they want” when told the flag raising was meant to protest anti-gay laws in Russia. “We’re Canadians here.”

No Canadian flags were taken down at city hall on Friday, and a large one flaps prominently in the square.

At one point Councillor Anthony Perruzza suggested he had brokered a compromise and that Mayor Ford had agreed both the Pride flag and the Canadian should fly at city hall, but the mayor didn’t actually change his mind. He told reporters at the end of the day that he will make a formal request to take down the Pride flag.

[np_storybar title=”Doug Ford doubles down on Rob Ford’s ‘women love money’ comment” link=”http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/02/07/doug-ford-doubles-down-on-rob-fords-women-love-money-comment-while-attacking-john-tory-for-being-a-chauvinist/”]

Toronto City Councillor Doug Ford, who will be Rob Ford’s campaign manager for the 2014 election, made clear in a heated radio interview Thursday that the Fords’ mayoral defence will be all offence.