A loyalist bonfire in Moygashel, County Tyrone, bearing a replica of a mosque on its summit was set alight before police could intervene to dismantle it — triggering the arrest of a man on suspicion of displaying threatening, abusive or insulting material.
The pyre, one of hundreds lit across Northern Ireland during the loyalist parade season each July, had drawn widespread condemnation. Police had planned to remove the structure, but it was ignited before they could act.
“Man arrested after loyalist bonfire topped with mosque replica set alight before police removal in Moygashel.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Hillary Benn called the effigy a “sickening and cowardly act of intimidation,” while other local politicians branded it “deplorable” and “deeply irresponsible.” The group behind the display insisted it was an act of “political protest.”
A man was arrested in connection with the incident, according to Channel 4 News. The arrest follows the burning of the bonfire, which had become a flashpoint in the village.
The replica mosque — a symbol of the Islamic faith — sat atop the stack of pallets and tyres, provoking anger from community leaders and politicians alike. Benn’s condemnation, echoed by others, underscored the tension surrounding the annual loyalist bonfires, which have repeatedly sparked controversy over sectarian and racist imagery.
Niamh Costello of the Belfast Telegraph reported on the fallout. The investigation continues as authorities seek to determine whether the display constitutes a hate crime under Northern Ireland’s laws on threatening or insulting material.