Co Tyrone: PSNI inquiries under way after 'Stop the Boats' effigy appears on bonfire

Police inquiries are under way after effigies of migrants in a boat were placed on a loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone.

The pyre in Moygashel, just outside Dungannon, shows a boat containing more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets.

Below the boat are several placards, one stating "stop the boats" and another "veterans before refugees".

A spokesperson for the PSNI said: "Police are aware of an item placed on a bonfire at the Moygashel area. Inquiries are continuing."

The effigies have been condemned by politicians.

Sinn Fein Assembly member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone Colm Gildernew branded the display "vile" and "deplorable".

"This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-right attitudes," he said.

"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.

"They are our friends, our neighbours, and are welcomed, cherished and valued by the vast majority of people here.

"Political leaders in this area must step up, call for the removal of these offensive materials and make it clear they do not support such vile, deplorable views."

SDLP leader Claire Hanna also condemned the bonfire.

She said some involved in the bonfire tradition in Northern Ireland appeared motivation by "hate, confrontation and media rows".

"Intricate effigies of humans beings, for burning. Who is this for?" she posted on X.

However, prominent loyalist activist Jamie Bryson insisted the display 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."

A spokesperson for the PSNI said: "Police are aware of an item placed on a bonfire at the Moygashel area. Inquiries are continuing."

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.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International'sNorthern Ireland director, described the bonfire as a "vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism".

He said: "It cruelly mocks the suffering of people who risk everything to flee war, persecution, and hardship in search of safety.

"Beyond being morally reprehensible, it incites hostility toward already marginalised and vulnerable communities.

"Amnesty International urges the authorities to ensure its immediate removal and calls on the PSNI to investigate and hold those responsible to account.

"A clear and unequivocal message must be sent that xenophobia and incitement to hatred have no place in our society."

The Moygashel tower is one of an estimated 300 bonfires that will be lit in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland on the nights of July 10 and 11.

The traditional fires are lit ahead of the main date in the parading calendar of Protestant loyal orders, the Twelfth Of July.

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.