Tyrone bonfire topped with migrant boat effigy is set alight

By Rebecca Black, PA

A loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone controversially topped with an effigy of migrants in a boat has been lit.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland earlier said they were investigating a hate incident in reference to the pyre in Moygashel on the outskirts of Dungannon, Co Tyrone.

A Tricolour flag was also placed on the bonfire, which is among about 300 which will be burned across Thursday and Friday night in the region, ahead of the Orange Order’s annual July 12th parades.

The display on top of the bonfire in Moygashel was criticised by political representatives across the spectrum in the North.

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, described the bonfire as a “vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism”.

The boat containing more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets was unveiled on top of the bonfire.

Below the boat are several placards, one saying “stop the boats” and another “veterans before refugees”.

The Moygashel bonfire has become well known in recent years for contentious displays.

Last year, a mock police car was burnt on the top of the bonfire and in 2023 a boat designed to represent the post-Brexit Irish Sea economic border was torched.

Prominent loyalist activist Jamie Bryson said it was a form of “artistic protest”.

“Every year Moygashel bonfire combines artistic protest with their cultural celebration,” he posted on X.

“Their yearly art has itself become a tradition.

“This year the focus is on the scandal of mass illegal immigration.”

Earlier on Thursday police said they had received a number of reports regarding the bonfire in Moygashel and the material on it.

“Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,” they 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.”