Effigy of migrants placed on bonfire in N Ireland causes outcry

MOYGASHEL: An effigy of migrants in a boat placed atop a tower due to be set alight in a massive bonfire in Northern Ireland drew condemnation Wednesday from local politicians.

Erected for a pro-UK loyalist bonfire, the model of a dozen life-sized mannequins with a dark appearance and orange life-jackets has prompted strong criticism and calls for its removal before the pyre is lit for annual celebrations of a Protestant victory day.

The row comes after anti-immigration riots last month in loyalist areas around the British province.

The unrest erupted over the alleged rape of a minor in the town of Ballymena, north of Belfast, and was fuelled by rumours the perpetrators were migrants.

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The pyre due to be set alight in the village of Moygashel, 65 kilometres west of Belfast, also features placards reading “Stop the Boats” and “Stop Illegal Immigration”.

A politician from pro-Irish unity party Sinn Fein called the display “vile”.

“This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-right attitudes,” said Colm Gildernew, a representative for the local area in Northern Ireland’s regional assembly.

“This is a clear incitement to hatred and must be removed immediately. Those who come to our island to make it their home are not the enemy,” said Gildernew in a social media post.

Moygashel’s annual bonfire has also sparked controversy in previous years.

Last year, a mock-up of a police vehicle containing effigies of Sinn Fein members was burnt.

In 2023, a boat designed to represent a post-Brexit economic border in the Irish Sea was torched.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a statement it is “aware of an item placed on a bonfire at the Moygashel area” and “enquiries are continuing”.

Prominent loyalist activist Jamie Bryson insisted the display was a form of “artistic protest”.

“Every year the Moygashel bonfire combines artistic protest with their cultural celebration,” Bryson said in a message on X.

“Their yearly art has itself become a tradition… this year the focus is on the scandal of mass illegal immigration.”

The bonfire is one of around 300 set to be lit across Northern Ireland in the run-up to July 12, when annual marches across the province celebrate the victory of a Protestant king over his Catholic rival in 1690.

While most of the bonfires pass off without incident, several have become the focus of contention due to the placing of flags, effigies and election posters on the structures before they are ignited.

The historically Protestant July 12 holiday celebrates ties with the rest of Britain, but is seen by many Catholics as triumphalist, with the parades sometimes triggering violence.