Tensions smoulder over two controversial loyalist bonfires
Tensions are continuing to smoulder around two controversial loyalist bonfires in Northern Ireland as time ticks down to when they are due to be lit.
In Belfast, a city council committee voted to send contractors to remove a towering pyre close to an electricity substation in the south of the city which powers two hospitals, on a site which also contains asbestos.
On Wednesday night, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it had received a formal request for assistance from the council to support contractors to remove the bonfire on Meridi Street off the Donegall Road.
A PSNI spokesperson said they had declared it as a major incident, and a Tactical Coordination Group had been established with multi-agency partners to ensure joint understanding and to comprehensively assess all of the risks associated with this request.
“No decision has been taken at this stage and we continue to work with our partner agencies and community representatives on this matter,” they added.
Crowds took to the street on the Donegall Road in south Belfast late on Wednesday night vowing to remain on site all night to defend the bonfire.
Some fireworks were set off and a smaller bonfire set alight, while a car was placed to block the entrance to the site on Meridi Street.
Meanwhile, there are calls to remove effigies of migrants in a boat that have been placed on a loyalist bonfire in Moygashel on the outskirts of Dungannon in Co Tyrone.
The boat containing more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets was unveiled on top of the bonfire. Below the boat are several placards, one stating “stop the boats” and another “veterans before refugees”.
Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland director, described the bonfire 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,” he said.
“A clear and unequivocal message must be sent that xenophobia and incitement to hatred have no place in our society.”
They are among around 300 set to be lit across Thursday and Friday night ahead of the Orange Order’s July 12 parades on Saturday.
The traditional fires are lit ahead of the main date in the parading calendar of Protestant loyal orders, the Twelfth Of July.
While most of the bonfires pass off without incident, several have become the focus of contention due to the placing of flags, effigies and election posters on the structures before they are ignited.