The PSNI said they won’t remove a migrant boat at the top of a bonfire in Co Tyrone because it doesn’t break any laws.
Elsewhere, police in Northern Ireland have opted not to support Belfast City Council in assisting contractors to dismantle a contentious bonfire positioned dangerously close to the electricity supply feeding two key hospitals, reports RTE.
The PSNI had earlier declared a “major incident” and engaged in discussions with local political representatives, community leaders, and multiple agencies before reaching a conclusion.
In their statement, the PSNI noted that after consultations with all relevant parties, “an evidence based assessment, and taking into consideration all of the risks associated with the removal” led them to withhold support for the council’s planned actions, reports RTE.
They also said the decision required “carefully balancing potentially competing statutory and human rights obligations.”
The statement continued: “The risk of the bonfire proceeding as planned was lower and more manageable than the intervention of contractors and the proposed methodology of dismantling the bonfire,” reports RTE.
Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister has called for an end to political interference over the loyalist bonfire at Monarch Street in south Belfast, urging that safety work be allowed to continue.
Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP said considerable effort had gone into making sure the bonfire could proceed safely, reports RTE.
Posting on social media, she said: “I pay tribute to all those working hard on the ground to resolve any remaining issues, including the local bonfire builders.
“I have been engaging with our local DUP reps and other agencies throughout. This work will continue over the next hours and days. Those playing politics with the issue should step back and allow the work to continue on the ground,” reports RTE.
She added: As always, threat or violence is never acceptable.
Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan, meanwhile, expressed strong concern, calling it “unthinkable” that the bonfire — built on a site with asbestos and near a power source for two hospitals — should proceed as planned on Friday, reports RTE.
Mr Sheehan said: “The PSNI must act now to prevent this from escalating.
“Waiting until it’s too late is not an option. We need firm, immediate action,” reports RTE.
The DUP’s Sarah Bunting, who leads the party on Belfast City Council, criticized the council’s approach as “foolhardy” and warned it could worsen tensions with local residents.
On social media, she said: “The decision to remove the bonfire was made without adequate consultation or consideration of community impact, and we believe it requires further scrutiny. This decision is political not a health and safety one. It is foolhardy and has ramped tensions up in an area which has suffered considerably from interface problems,” reports RTE.
Senior police officials have denied media claims that loyalist paramilitaries have jointly warned of widespread violence if the bonfire is cleared.
Still, there is a significant chance that groups like the UDA and UVF in the local loyalist area would strongly oppose any forced removal, potentially sparking unrest in other areas, reports RTE.
Just hours after the council’s decision, roads leading to the site were obstructed, a small crowd gathered nearby, and a few young men climbed atop the bonfire.
The location — bordered by the Westlink motorway and surrounded by homes and businesses — offers police few tactical options for accessing the site.
The site’s proximity to the Westlink, the city’s busiest roadway, raises further concerns, as any potential riots could lead to its closure, reports RTE.
There is also concern that if police begin to move in, bonfire builders may ignite the structure immediately.
In a similar incident four years ago, police refused to back a council move to remove a controversial bonfire in north Belfast.
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At the time, police cited the presence of children on the structure and the risk of serious unrest as their reasoning, reports RTE.
The High Court in Belfast later upheld that decision.
Elsewhere, there have been strong calls to remove effigies of migrants placed on a loyalist bonfire in Moygashel, near Dungannon in County Tyrone, reports RTE.
A boat featuring over a dozen life-sized mannequins in life jackets was mounted atop the bonfire. Placards beneath it read: “stop the boats” and “veterans before refugees”.
An Irish tricolour was added to the top of the bonfire overnight, which is due to be burned on Thursday night, reports RTE.
Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell called the display “racist, threatening and offensive”.
He added: “It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or with Protestant culture and is in fact inhuman and deeply sub-Christian.
“I hope that the many people from other countries, who live in that area, and who contribute so much to the economy and to the diversity of Dungannon, can be reassured that it does not in any way represent the feeling of the vast majority of their neighbours,” reports RTE.
SDLP Stormont leader Matthew O’Toole voiced “outrage” at the reported threats made following the Belfast City Council’s decision to take down the bonfire near the Westlink.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, the South Belfast MLA said this issue was about public health, not an attempt to diminish the significance of the 12 July commemorations, reports RTE.
“We, in Northern Ireland, and on this island generally, are supposed to have moved far beyond the era when threats from paramilitaries, which is what I think we had last night, are an acceptable part of our political discourse,” he said, reports RTE.
“It’s not to do with clamping down on loyalist culture, it’s a public health risk… so it’s very concerning that unnamed threats can be used to try to ward off action taken on behalf of lawfully elected Council officials,” reports RTE.
Mr O’Toole added that the people “most at risk” are those living in the nearby community to the bonfire site.
Regarding the Moygashel effigy, Mr O’Toole said it bore all the “hallmarks of a hate crime,” reports RTE.
“They clearly have gone and procured dark skinned mannequins, which almost seems like a grotesque thing for a group of people to do,” reports RTE.
“They have basically used their bonfire to gratuitously insult and provoke reaction – it’s disgusting, it is offensive, but it’s designed to be both of those things,” reports RTE.
He further described the bonfire as “revolting” and “objectionable.”
Mr O’Toole said the situation is “sad” for unionist and loyalist people who genuinely want to celebrate the Twelfth.
“I am not opposed to (12 July), not only that, I think that it is a part of our broad cultural heritage on this island and I want to respect it, and I want people to enjoy themselves,” reports RTE.
“For those people who do want to enjoy themselves in a way that is lawful, safe and respectful, frankly, it’s pretty insulting that their time of year gets tarred with this association with gratuitous, disgusting hate like is on the top of that bonfire,” reports RTE.
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland Director of Amnesty International, condemned the Moygashel bonfire display as “a vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism”.
“Amnesty International urges the authorities to ensure its immediate removal and calls on the PSNI to investigate and hold those responsible to account. A clear and unequivocal message must be sent that xenophobia and incitement to hatred have no place in our society,” reports RTE.
Approximately 300 bonfires are expected to be lit across Thursday and Friday night, ahead of the Orange Order’s 12 July parades on Saturday.
These traditional bonfires are part of the lead-up to the biggest annual event in the Protestant loyal order calendar, the Twelfth of July.
While most bonfires pass peacefully, some draw controversy due to the burning of flags, effigies, and political posters placed on the pyres before ignition, reports RTE.
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