Moygashel: Calls for police action over replica of mosque on top of bonfire

Moygashel: Calls for police action over replica of mosque on top of bonfire

Authorities have been called upon to intervene following the appearance of a model mosque atop a bonfire in Moygashel, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This particular bonfire has a history of featuring contentious items.

Patrick Corrigan, representing Amnesty International, condemned the display as “a blatant attempt to stir up anti-Muslim hatred and intimidate local families.” He emphasized the importance of a strong reaction from law enforcement, stating that the act “amounts to incitement to hatred directed at real people who live, work and raise families in Northern Ireland.”

In recent years, the bonfire has included several provocative representations. In 2025, an effigy depicting refugees in a boat was burned as part of the festivities. The previous year, in 2024, a replica police car met the same fate, and in 2023, images of the Irish prime minister at the time, Leo Varadkar, along with an Irish flag, were displayed and incinerated.

Carl Whyte, councillor for the Social Democratic and Labour Party, described the mosque effigy as “absolutely disgusting.” Speaking to Good Morning Ulster, he condemned the targeting of an entire religion, calling it “shameful” and “racist,” and insisted that such actions have no place in society. Bonfires like this are traditionally lit in unionist communities during July, primarily on the evening of July 11, known as the Eleventh Night, to celebrate the Twelfth of July. This date marks the anniversary of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne, where Protestant King William III triumphed over the Catholic King James II

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