Officials for a New Jersey county are facing growing criticism over their decision to not fly flags at half-staff following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as per President Donald Trump’s orders — but they are saying it was not done as an act of defiance.

The controversy ignited social media over the weekend, as some residents of Bergen County wondered why flags hadn’t been lowered.

“I think they should’ve been lowered,” said Lorraine Wymbs. “I think that people need to be less divided and more united, that’s my feeling. And I don’t think we have it here.”

President Trump issued a proclamation in the wake of Kirk’s shooting death in Utah, as a way to honor the 31-year-old who was killed during an event at Utah Valley University. While the president’s proclamation ordered flags fly at half staff over the weekend, there were many curious as to why Bergen County’s flags were still flying at full staff.

But it turns out, despite the proclamation, experts say the county technically did nothing wrong.

“Is it a breach of etiquette? Perhaps…Is it a breach of protocol? No,” said flag expert James Ferrigan, known as a “vexilogist,” or someone who studies flags and their symbolism.

“The executive order is actually only binding on all the executive departments and things under his direct control,” said Ferrigan. “Internal political subdivisions – like states, counties, municipalities – they have a wide latitude of what they can and can’t do.”

The county took to social media to clarify its decision, and in an email to NBC New York, officials said they were not making not a political statement.

“Bergen County’s policy is to follow the state of New Jersey’s daily flag status…for September 12 through 14, the state’s status was ‘full staff.’ The County of Bergen condemns all forms of political violence and rejects hate in every form,” a county spokesperson said. “Our county remains committed to bringing people together around our shared values and ideals. Had the state issued an order to lower the flag through Sunday, September 14, the county of Bergen would have lowered the flag accordingly.”

The county also pointed out that when David Ganz, who was said to the county’s longest-serving Democratic member of the Board of Freeholders (now known as the Board of Commissioners), died in May, the county did not lower flags as well.