Police in Northern Ireland are investigating the placement of a replica mosque on a loyalist bonfire as a hate-motivated criminal offense. The model, bearing the Arabic phrase 'Islamic fascism,' was erected on a pyre in Moygashel, County Tyrone, alongside signs reading 'Secure our borders' and 'End the threat of radical Islam.'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed that a 56-year-old man arrested on Thursday remains in custody. The bonfire is scheduled to be lit on July 11, known as 'Eleventh Night,' part of the Protestant loyalist celebrations commemorating the Battle of the Boyne.

The Moygashel Bonfire Association defended the display as a 'political protest' against 'uncontrolled illegal mass immigration,' insisting it was not targeting individuals but opposing ideology and government policy. They stated, 'If there was no uncontrolled illegal mass immigration, we would have no need to protest on this issue.'

UK Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn condemned the act as a 'sickening and cowardly act of intimidation,' while Amnesty International called it a 'vile display' and a 'blatant attempt to stir up anti-Muslim hatred.' Local Protestant and Catholic archbishops issued a joint statement denouncing the 'grossly offensive' display and urging respect for Muslim citizens.

Loyalist political parties, including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), distanced themselves from the act, emphasizing that bonfires should be positive cultural celebrations and that placing flags or effigies is not part of the tradition. UUP leader Jon Burrows warned that such images damage Northern Ireland's reputation.

The incident comes weeks after anti-immigration riots in pro-British areas following a knife attack by a Sudanese asylum-seeker, highlighting ongoing tensions over immigration and sectarian divisions in the region.

Source: www.dw.com