Mosque replica on bonfire condemned as 'vile' bid to stir up anti-Muslim hatred
Police say a 56-year-old man was arrested as authorities treated the display as a hate-motivated criminal offence.
- On Thursday night, organizers lit the Moygashel bonfire in Northern Ireland a day early as the Police Service of Northern Ireland launched an operation to remove a replica mosque from the pyre.
- The Moygashel Bonfire Association claimed the display was an act of "political protest" against "uncontrolled illegal mass immigration" ahead of July 12 commemorations marking King William III's victory.
- Police charged a 56-year-old man with incitement to hatred, as the replica featured an effigy holding a knife and banners reading "secure our borders" and "end the threat of radical Islam."
- Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn described the display as a "sickening and cowardly act of intimidation," while Amnesty International called it a "blatant attempt to stir up anti-Muslim hatred and intimidate local families."
- Prominent loyalist Jamie Bryson claimed locals knew of police movements in advance, while critics warned images will travel globally, "damaging Northern Ireland's reputation and playing into the hands of critics of unionist and loyalist culture.
65 Articles
65 Articles
A 300-year-old bonfire tradition in Northern Ireland has turned its flames on Muslims
In a tradition dating back more than 300 years, towering pyres have been lit every July in Northern Ireland to mark the Battle of the Boyne, which effectively cemented Protestant rule.
Replica mosque torched in Northern Ireland bonfire
Police tried and failed to remove the “hate display” before it was set on fire Northern Irish loyalists have burned a replica mosque atop a bonfire before police could intervene to dismantle the scene. The incident, which took place four weeks after devastating race riots in Belfast, has been condemned by human rights groups. A...
The Northern Echo
Breaking NewsBonfire topped with replica mosque set alight before bid to remove hate display
The loyalist bonfire in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, was widely condemned.
A model of a mosque was burned on the border in the pro-British Northern Ireland town of Moygashel on Thursday, the day before celebrations that included burning the border, as organizers wanted to prevent police from removing the mosque. Local politicians are calling it a hate crime.
Mosque replica on loyalist bonfire reveals moribund 'culture' circling the drain
Loyalists in the village of Moygashel have torched a replica of a mosque, sparking predictable outrage. There’s little question the action was a grotesque, hateful display, and such sentiments represent a real material threat to Muslims, as recent racist pogroms prove. What the blaze truly shows, however, is a dead-end loyalist culture that will ultimately […] By Robert Freeman
Authorities, community workers and the church have appealed for a peaceful event and tolerance.
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