Hate incident investigation after bonfire topped with migrant effigy lit in Northern Ireland
Anger after effigy of migrants in boat set on fire in Northern Ireland bonfire
- A loyalist Bonfire in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, was lit, featuring a controversial effigy of migrants in a boat and an Irish tricolour flag.
- The display included more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets, alongside placards stating 'stop the boats' and 'veterans before refugees'.
- The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed they are investigating the pyre as a hate incident.
- The contentious display drew widespread criticism from political representatives and human rights organisations, with one archbishop describing it as 'racist, threatening and offensive'.
- A prominent loyalist activist defended the Bonfire as a form of 'artistic protest' against 'mass illegal immigration', while the Moygashel Bonfire has a history of controversial displays.