A bonfire topped with an effigy of migrants in a boat has been set alight in Northern Ireland as police launch a hate crime investigation into the event.
The model, featuring more than a dozen dummies wearing orange life jackets, was lit in Moygashel on the outskirts of Dungannon in County Tyrone at around 11pm yesterday ahead of the annual loyalist July 12 parades.
It also featured signs reading “stop the boats”, “veterans before refugees” and “stop illegal immigration”.
An Irish tricolour flag was placed on top, which is among about 300 which will be burned across Thursday and Friday night in the region as part of the Orange Order celebrations.
The bonfire was set alight in Northern Island on Thursday evening as part of loyalist celebrations
PA
Thousands of people attend parades on the Twelfth every year to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 when the Protestant King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James.
Police in Northern Ireland said they had received a number of reports about the bonfire prior to it being lit.
“Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,” the force said.
“We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.”
The display was criticised by political representatives and Church leaders.
Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, John McDowell, described it as “racist, threatening and offensive”.
Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland director, meanwhile said the bonfire as a “vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism”.
The bonfire featured signs including ‘stop illegal immigration’
PA
Police are investigating the bonfire as a hate crime
PA
