Migrant Boat Bonfire Criticised as “Sickening and Racist”
A row has broken out over plans to burn an effigy of migrants in a small boat as part of an annual Northern Ireland bonfire protest tradition, with critics branding the move “sickening and racist”. The Telegraph has the story.
A row has broken out over plans to burn an effigy of migrants in a small boat.
It forms part of a bonfire in the village of Moygashel, near Dungannon, Co Tyrone, which is to be burnt as part of the annual July 12th celebrations by loyalists.
At the top is a boat filled with 12 dummies wearing life jackets and hi-vis jackets. A sign strapped to the side of the pyre reads “stop the boats”.
Another banner reads “veterans before refugees” with an image of two guns.
Critics branded the display a “disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-Right attitudes”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been contacted amid calls to take it down.
Bonfires are lit in unionist areas of Northern Ireland in the evening of every July 11th, ahead of July 12th parades to mark the victory of the protestant William of Orange over deposed King James II’s Catholic forces at the Battle of the Boyne.
“I am absolutely disgusted to see yet another overtly racist and threatening display appear on the bonfire in Moygashel,” Malachy Quinn, an SDLP councillor, told the Irish News.
“Those responsible for this hateful display claim to be celebrating British culture. Let’s be clear: racism and intimidation are not culture. This isn’t pride – it’s poison. It is an affront to every decent person in our community.”
“This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-Right attitudes. This is a clear incitement to hatred and must be removed immediately.” said Colm Gildernew, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA.
Mr Gildernew urged unionist politicians to distance themselves from the bonfire, saying: “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.”
However, Jamie Bryson, a loyalist blogger and activist, defended the bonfire, saying the European Court of Human Rights had ruled that burning effigies was “legitimate political expression”.
“Those who have spent recent months defending Kneecap and labelling their performances as artistic expression are the same people criticising this act of political protest,” he said, referring to the controversial Irish language rap group, which supports a united Ireland.
“Cultural expression and political protest are conceptually two different things. Traditionally in Moygashel they use their cultural celebration to put in place an artistic political protest in respect of a contemporary issue of controversy. That’s entirely legitimate.
“Many of those complaining are the same people who are the main cheerleaders for the ECHR and slavish deference to the rulings of that court.”
Worth reading in full.
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Since when has upholding the law been racist and far-right?
For as long as the far left say so.
Since the Race Relations Act 1965.
Effigies of political leaders are regularly burnt at various festivals and protests in Britain, as well as ruthlessly caricatured in programmes like “Spitting Image”, yet no one is called “sickening” or “racist” for it. National flags are also regularly burnt at protests, but no one calls them “sickening” or “racist” for it:
Notable effigies from Lewes’s Bonfire Nights – BBC News
Bonfire Night revellers boo as giant effigy of Rishi Sunak carried through streets – The Mirror
Scottish independence protestors burn Union Jacks to mark Burns Night | The Herald
Protesters burn UK flag outside UK”s main mosque – YouTube
Palestine protesters lambasted after brazenly desecrating Union Jack flag: ‘It is OUR national flag!’
Guy Fawkes was a Catholic – so overtly…what burning his effigy?
“… with critics branding the move “sickening and racist”. “
So two boats are needed.
Yes, even the Pope is burnt in effigy every year in Lewes:
“As well as the traditional guy, a model of Pope Paul V – pope at the time of the Gunpowder Plot – is burned every year. The custom seems to have started as an act of remembrance for the town’s 17 Protestant martyrs who were burned at the stake during the 16th Century.”
Notable effigies from Lewes’s Bonfire Nights – BBC News
Perhaps they should update a bit, and have an effigy of Pope Francis kneeling on the ground before Muslims, while washing & kissing their feet.
I’m hoping for a re-enactment of the event, this time successful.
There are worse things than being a ‘racist’. In our society it seems to be the one unpardonable society. There are times when I couldn’t care less if that’s how someone wants to think of me. I am deeply concerned about the way Britain, as a result of mass immigration, has been bereft of its national, historical identity. If that makes me a racist, so be it. I own the term.
Hear, hear! In fact, I was thinking of changing my username to “Heretic the Racist Bigot”, just to be perfectly clear. 🙂
Seconded 👍
There’s no arguing with these latest crazy crime figures out of Germany. The evidence is out in the public domain and the findings of these reports are being replicated time and again, from country to country, always the same story. This reminds me of during the Scamdemic and the subsequent death jab roll-out, though. No amount of contradictory evidence is acknowledged, all shoved under the carpet because nothing must get in the way of the agenda; ”Algerian teenagers are an astonishing 56 times more likely to be suspected of a crime than their German-born counterparts, according to new German statistics published for the first time. “In almost all crime categories surveyed, foreign nationals have an exorbitantly high crime rate compared to German suspects”, says an Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker after the German Federal Criminal Office collated and released per-capita crime suspect data for the first time. The data combines the number of criminal suspects with the total number of any given demographic group in Germany, allowing like-for-like comparisons on a per capita basis. Paper of record Die Welt, which was given exclusive access to the data, reports significant differentials in the likelihood of being suspected of committing a crime among various ethnic groups.… Read more »
For those who are a bit bovvered just accept that this is a patriotic and enthusiastic display intended to celebrate Irish history. Viewed in those terms what’s the problem?
It is part of our heritage as well since the outcome of the battle determined the crown of England. GB News will running live broadcast of the Orange Day marches and parades with Arlene Foster that will make you proud. And if my memory serves me correctly 12 July is the celebration of the English millennium when we united under one single crown.
👍👍👍
Critics branded the display a “disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-Right attitudes”.
Read: People strongly in favour of open borders immigration become really pissed-off when somebody dares to oppose them and then start to spew forth statements which make absolutely no sense in the hope to be able to construct a reason for authorities to intervene on their behalf despite they don’t really in what they say themselves.
This boat dummy obviously mirrors a similar one used at Glastonbury to express support for this kind of immigration. The message is thus Shove it! and it’s obviously targetted at the people who had the idea for the orginal display.
What is the problem? Thousands burn an effigy of a Catholic every November 5th.
The Palestinian protesters actually physically attack and abuse Jews and I do not see these same leaders in an uproar about that.
The attendees at Glastonbury all who remained are racists who called for the death of Jews and the eradication of their country, and all of them are still walking around free.
So burning an effigy of a boat with criminals in it, what exactly is the problem?
I don’t see many women and children effigies in that boat…
In poor taste I’d agree but that should never be illegal.
It’s not incitement.
Again, shout it down as being racist instead of seeing the real problem. Too much immigration and it’s unwelcome.
Despite political “testing” showing that I’m (slightly) left of centre I must actually be racist and far-Right as I think this is brilliant protest in support of stopping the destruction of my country(s)
A bit tasteless, but then the history of Eire and NI has been “a bit tasteless” for centuries.
Did they really think the Irish / Scots Irish would just go quietly?
Freedom of speech and actions within the law goes both ways. Just because you don’t agree with the message doesn’t mean the message sender can’t say it or do it.