Jamie Bryson decries efforts to ‘weaponise’ bonfire tragedy which cost John Steele his life in order to impose safety regulations on annual loyalist tradition

He was speaking in the wake of the death of John Steele, who died at the weekend after falling off a bonfire at Antiville, Larne.

Mr Bryson, who has spent much of the last year organising anti-Protocol street protests, has also recently been acting as a spokesman for the Adam Street bonfire in north Belfast, which has been the subject of petrol bomb attacks by rival youths.

In a statement he said: “The tragic accident which led to the loss of John Steele’s life will undoubtedly be weaponised by those who want to see the eradication of bonfires...

“Efforts to regulate bonfires, or impose conditions via management schemes, with the ‘carrot’ of funding is an effort to incrementally dilute not only the tradition itself, but the community cohesion and spirit that underpins it.

“Thankfully more and more bonfires are rejecting funding, rejecting a ‘beacon’ been wheeled onto the field for one day and instead are reverting to the community owned and community built traditional bonfire with everyone mucking in...

“There are people making sandwiches for the bonfire builders, bringing sweets for the kids and contributing in many other ways. That develops community pride and ownership, the very thing that is lost when a community becomes reliant on funding for the celebration of culture.”

He stressed that while “any effort to regulate bonfires must be resisted”, the loyalist community “should work towards developing a voluntary regulatory scheme” instead.

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