A 56-yr-old man has been remanded in custody charged in connection with a loyalist bonfire set ablaze with a replica mosque placed on top.
Brian Conrad Neill, of Hollow Mills, New Mills, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, faces one charge of incitement to hatred, reports RTE.
The charge alleges that on Wednesday 8 July at the Moygashel bonfire in Tyrone, he engaged in behaviour which was threatening, abusive or intended to stir up hatred or cause fear.
The bonfire had a replica of a mosque placed on top and an effigy of a man holding a knife placed in the window, reports RTE.
The bonfire had banners calling for tighter immigration controls and an end to the “threat from radical Islam.”
It was lit the previous night, a day ahead of schedule, as police prepared to move in and seize it as part of a hate crime investigation, reports RTE.
The court was told that the accused had been filmed on Wednesday evening on top of the bonfire along with a number of masked men, and had been unmasked.
A PSNI detective constable told the court the defendant had been seen hauling up several signs that were later affixed to the bonfire, reports RTE.
Mr Neill told police he had been unaware of what was under a tarpaulin on top of the bonfire.
He said he had been asked to assist with fixing the lopsided structure due to his experience as a tree surgeon, reports RTE.
The police officer said he could be seen looking under the tarpaulin on footage taken from the police helicopter.
The court heard the accused and the masked men climbed down from the structure and ran into a crowd of 70 to 100 people who had gathered, with some of them putting up umbrellas to shield the men from a police helicopter, reports RTE.
The accused was stopped in a car nearby.
At interview he admitted having helped the bonfire builders but denied knowledge of the mosque replica and said he had not paid attention to what was written in the signs, reports RTE.
A defence solicitor applied for bail, describing his client as a “pawn” who had been used by more “sinister elements.”
Police opposed bail, describing the accused as a man who had influence in the area, reports RTE.
District Judge Barney McElholm denied bail at Dungannon Magistrates Court.
He said the Moygashel bonfire had become “notorious” in recent years and that each year it tried to outdo the previous year’s display, reports RTE.
“The people who run this bonfire have a clear agenda full of hate and bigotry towards others,” said Judge McElholm.
The judge said he did not believe a word of the accused’s account and remanded him in custody until 5 August, reports RTE.
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