Kneecap effigies and Irish language signage appear on controversial Village bonfire
Belfast City Council on Wednesday ordered the dismantling of the structure following fears over its proximity to a nearby electrical substation and the presence of loose asbestos at the site.
However, the bonfire is set to proceed after the PSNI deemed it too dangerous to intervene.
As well as the effigies, the bonfire contains an Irish tricolour and Palestine flag, as well as a sign penned in Irish which reads: 'Maraigh do aitiúil Kneecap'.
Though grammatically incorrect, the message roughly translates as 'Kill your local Kneecap', an apparent reference to comments made by the band about Tory MPs – for which the group later apologised.
Another sign reading 'SDLP and Alliance do not represent our community'.
It comes after a poster featuring the west Belfast rappers along with a number of sectarian slogans was attached to an Eleventh Night bonfire in Co Tyrone.
The banner, which has a photograph of the west Belfast band as its backdrop has been cable tied to the pallets used to construct the bonfire in the Dungannon area.
It features the heading 'Kill your local Kneecap', with a further line stating 'The only good one is a dead one'. In the centre of the poster is the acronym 'KAT', with 'Death to Hamas' and 'Destroy all Irish Republicans' also on the banner.
At Sandy Row, an effigy wearing a Celtic jersey and a tricolour balaclava has been placed on top of a bonfire alongside two Palestinian flags.
A posted reading 'F**k Kneecap and Palestine' has been fixed to the structure along with another notice reading 'Stop the Boats. Deport Illegals. Stop the Invasion'.
Earlier this afternoon, MP Paul Maskey described similar sectarian displays on a bonfire in west Belfast as 'sickening'.
The offensive banners have appeared on a pyre alongside Irish tricolours in the Highfield area of the city, with police confirming the banners are being treated as 'motivated by hate'.
The 'KAT' slur has this time been painted onto one of the flags in block capital letters and hung above a sign that reads 'stop the boats'.
Another sign with 'ATAT' and 'HYL' painted on it alongside a crosshair target has also been spotted at the site in addition to a sign that warns 'PSNI not welcome in loyalist Highfield'.
Controversial 'migrant boat' bonfire is lit in Moygashel
'Such open and sickening displays of sectarian and racist hatred have absolutely no place in our society,' said Mr Maskey.
"Political unionism must speak out and demand the removal of these offensive materials.
'Real leadership is needed, although it has been sorely lacking in these communities for some time.
'This is clearly a hate crime, and I have reported it to the PSNI.'
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A PSNI spokesperson said: 'Police have received reports regarding offensive signage placed on a bonfire in the Highfield area and in the Eastvale area of Dungannon.
'Enquiries into these matters, which are being treated as being motivated by hate, are ongoing.'
Further items, including a Palestinian flag and a notice reading 'Taigs out' have also been placed on a bonfire in the Waterside area of Londonderry, alongside a banner proclaiming solidarity between Ireland and Palestine.
Meanwhile, a drone carrying an Irish tricolour has been spotted flying over the Shankill Road as the community prepare to light their bonfire.
Footage on social media appeared to show the drone performing laps of the area.
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The British terms for recognition of Palestine are not addressed to Hamas or Israel
Every day, Christians say the prayer which Jesus himself taught, the 'Our Father '. Its first expressed wish is 'Thy kingdom come'. Those three words refer to the belief that Jesus will have a Second Coming to earth which will inaugurate the eternal reign of God. When we say them, we express a sincere hope, but we are assuredly not expecting it to happen any time soon. In history, preachers have emerged claiming they are the Messiah, or his prophet, and that the Kingdom is coming right now. They have been lunatics, charlatans, or political adventurers. It is not, from a Christian view, impossible that the Second Coming will be manifested soon in a high street near you: it is just extremely unlikely. Fear those who claim otherwise. The call for a two-state solution of Israel/Palestine is the political equivalent of 'Thy kingdom come'. It is a noble aspiration towards which we should strive, but not, to put it mildly, likely or imminent. Beware of those who tell you different. The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state now makes the same mistake as those who try to fast-track the coming of Christ's kingdom. Its advocates may be perfectly sincere, but their actions empower the worst people. They will not create the state they seek. There are differences between the recognition terms being offered by France, Canada and Britain. Canada, for example, imposes quite strong conditions, such as demilitarising the Palestinians. The British version is notably the worst. It demands Hamas release the hostages, but with no penalty if Hamas does not comply. Weirdly, the British position makes our recognition of a Palestinian state dependent on Israel's behaviour in the coming weeks. Recognition will be granted 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace, including through allowing the UN to restart without delay the supply of humanitarian support … to end starvation, agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank'. Is Sir Keir Starmer seriously saying that if Benjamin Netanyahu obeys him and calls off his dogs of war, the case for a Palestinian state falls? If statehood is needed, that need does not depend on how 'good' or 'bad' Bibi decides to be between now and September. And what incentive does Britain give Hamas to offer a ceasefire? We have told the terrorists that if Israel agrees one, we will not recognise Palestinian statehood. What earthly reason will Hamas have for releasing the hostages now? Until the UN General Assembly, when recognition will be declared, it will want to drive Israel into more extreme positions. Then Britain will back the Palestinian state that Hamas wants. This may not matter, since Britain has so little power in the situation, and has now, by its various recent actions, lost all leverage with Israel. For Mr Netanyahu, the latest British pressure need hardly register. The only Western power that matters here is the United States. But why, then, did Sir Keir regard the nearly 80-year-old question of Palestinian statehood as suddenly so urgent that it required an emergency Cabinet meeting this week? And why is it that, for the first time, three G7 members are playing this recognition game? I suppose the answer friendliest to those three states is that they want to forestall Israel. They think that Mr Netanyahu wants to annex Gaza: they fear that President Trump cannot be relied upon to stop him. They imagine their declaration of Palestinian statehood can prevent this. They are right that the Netanyahu government has waged nearly two years of war without disclosing its post-victory plans. That makes everyone nervous. But I fear – a fear confirmed by the hasty, repetitive, almost inarticulate wording of the British statement – that the call for Palestinian state recognition is driven by motives little related to a long-term international settlement. The most obvious is that the countries involved have big, restive Muslim populations to be appeased. Here in Britain, our governing party has a proportion of Muslim membership much higher than that of the general population (thought to be over 60 per cent in London). Labour is shedding votes in all directions. Muslim ones are among the most volatile. It would not be surprising, too, if the security services were privately warning of Islamist attacks stirred up by what is happening in Gaza. Labour is scared. Slightly less obvious, but still powerful, are undercurrents about 'values'. Attending President Macron's speech in Westminster Hall during his state visit, I was struck by his emphasis on recognising Palestine. Although he said it was his own view, he implied it arose from Anglo-French conversations. He waxed eloquent about how 'for us as Europeans there is no double standard' (a remark which implies a false equivalence between Israel and Hamas). Mark Carney takes a similar line. He is back home ruling Canada these days, but there remains no greater devotee of European righteousness. One must not forget that Sir Keir, although outwardly deferential to Trump, is desperate for a shadow EU membership for Britain to wash off what he sees as the stain of nationalism and realign us with the Union our voters rejected in 2016. For him, 'European values' are talismanic. Unfortunately, they have never included robust support for Israel. Then there is colonial guilt. Speaking at Wednesday's UN conference on the two-state solution in New York, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, invoked 'the hand of history' that famously fingered Tony Blair in Northern Ireland. Britain bears 'the special burden of responsibility' that goes back to the Balfour declaration of 1917, he said. We must protect the 'civil and religious rights' of the Palestinian people which, along with a homeland for the Jews, Balfour promised. Balfour did not promise a Palestinian state, however. There has never been one. Palestinian leaders have rejected all offers of one. This Mr Lammy did not discuss. It is a serious matter to create a new state. As a result, there are four international legal principles for doing so, based not on aspiration, but on facts: does the entity in question have 'a permanent population, a defined territory, a government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states'? This Government of lawyers is oddly reluctant to engage with these questions. It was a surprise to hear the distinguished ex-jurist Lord Sumption say on television that it is 'completely clear' that Palestine has met these conditions, especially that of having a government. Until now, such complete clarity has eluded all those who have sought to deal with representatives of the Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority is much less than a government. Hamas, as all admit, has no legitimacy whatever. Its plan for statehood was well expressed in its actions of Oct 7 2023. Palestinian statehood, as currently offered, bursts with contradictions. Here is a darkly funny one. At present, the official status of most Palestinians in the territories is that of refugees (the only example in the world of refugee status being hereditary), for whom the UN is responsible. If statehood were granted, they would be refugees no more, so would UNWRA and all its aid have to be sent packing? That is just one of the many things which Sir Keir and colleagues have not thought about.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Hostage families: Releases will play ‘no part' in UK plan to recognise Palestine
British families of hostages taken by Hamas say they have been told that the release of those still held would 'play no part' in the UK's plans to recognise Palestine and urged the Prime Minister to change course. Sir Keir Starmer announced earlier this week that the UK would take the step of recognising Palestine in September ahead of the UN General Assembly unless Israel meets certain conditions. Members of four British families met with Foreign Office officials on Thursday night seeking clarification on whether conditions would also be placed on Hamas, their lawyers said in a statement. 'However, it was clear from the meeting last night that the British Government's policy will not help the hostages, and could even hurt them,' they said. 'We do not say this lightly, but it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations. 'In other words, the 'vision for peace' which the UK is pursuing… may well involve our clients' family members continuing to rot in Hamas dungeons.' Sir Keir had said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. While he also called for Hamas to immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza', he did not explicitly say these would factor into whether recognition would go ahead. The families have a range of views on what the future political settlement should look like but their priority is to keep the hostages 'above political games,' their lawyers said. They are now urging the Prime Minister to 'change course before it is too late'. 'At a minimum, the British hostage families request that the Government confirm that without the hostages being released, there can be no peace, and that this will be an important part of its decision as to whether to proceed with recognition and its current plan.' Sir Keir said that he 'particularly' listens to hostages after criticism of his plans from Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas. The families of Ms Damari and freed hostage Eli Sharabi were among those who met with the Foreign Office. Also present were relatives of Nadav Popplewell, who died while held captive, as well as those of Oded Lifshitz, who died, and Yocheved Lifschitz, who was released. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the UK will not get into a 'to and fro' with Hamas over the recognition plans and that 'we don't negotiate with terrorists, Hamas are terrorists'. US President Donald Trump disagrees with Sir Keir's plans, as well as those of France and Canada, which have also pledged their countries will recognise Palestine. 'He feels as though that's rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and to the release of all of the hostages,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
US envoy Witkoff visits the Gaza aid operation that the UN calls unsafe
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy became the first high-profile U.S. official to visit Gaza since the war began, touring a U.S.-backed aid operation on Friday that the United Nations says is partly to blame for deadly conditions in the enclave. Steve Witkoff visited a site run by the U.S. and Israel--backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in Rafah in what he said was an effort to create a new aid plan for the war-shattered Palestinian territory, where Israel has been fighting the militant group Hamas. Humanitarian organizations and many foreign governments have been strongly critical of the GHF, which began operations in late May. A global hunger monitor warned this week that famine is unfolding in Gaza. Hours after Witkoff's visit, Palestinian medics reported Israeli forces had shot dead three Palestinians near one of the group's sites in the city on Gaza's southern edge. Reuters could not immediately verify whether it was the same location. The Israeli military said it was still looking into the incident in which soldiers had fired warning shots at what it described as a "gathering of suspects" approaching its troops, hundreds of metres from the aid site. The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed trying to receive aid in Gaza since the GHF began operating there, most of them shot by Israeli forces operating near GHF sites. The Israeli military has acknowledged that its forces have killed some Palestinians seeking aid and says it has given its troops new orders to improve their response. The U.N. has declined to work with the GHF, which it says distributes aid in ways that are inherently dangerous and violate humanitarian neutrality principles, contributing to the hunger crisis across the territory. The GHF says nobody has been killed at its distribution points, and that it is doing a better job of protecting aid deliveries than the U.N. Israel blames Hamas and the U.N. for the failure of food to get to desperate Palestinians in Gaza and introduced the GHF distribution system saying it would prevent aid supplies being seized by Hamas. Hamas denies stealing aid. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who traveled with Witkoff to Gaza on Friday, posted on X a picture showing hungry Gazans behind razor wire with a GHF poster with a big American flag that read "100,000,000 meals delivered". "President Trump understands the stakes in Gaza and that feeding civilians, not Hamas, must be the priority," GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said in a statement, accompanied by images of Witkoff in a grey camouflage top, flak jacket and "Make America Great Again" baseball cap with Trump's name stitched on the back. "We were honoured to brief his delegation, share our operations, and demonstrate the impact of delivering 100 million meals to those who need them most," Fay said. Witkoff said on X that he had also met with other agencies. "The purpose of the visit was to give @POTUS (Trump) a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza," Witkoff said. He visited Gaza a day after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is under mounting international pressure over the devastation of Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023 and growing starvation among its 2.2 million inhabitants. Gaza medics say dozens have died of malnutrition in recent days as hunger sets in, after Israel cut off all supplies to the enclave for nearly three months from March-May. Israel says it is taking steps to let in more aid, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. The worsening humanitarian crisis has prompted France, Britain and Canada to announce plans to potentially recognise a Palestinian state, a move already taken by most countries but not by major Western powers. The Israeli military's statistics show that an average of around 140 aid trucks have entered Gaza daily during the course of the war, about a quarter of what international humanitarian agencies say is required. On Friday, the Israeli military said that 200 trucks of aid were distributed by the U.N. and other organizations on Thursday, with hundreds more waiting to be picked up from the border crossings inside Gaza. The United Nations says it has thousands of trucks still waiting, if Israel would let them in without the stringent security measures that aid groups say have prevented the entry of much-needed humanitarian assistance throughout the war. Israel has begun allowing food air drops this week, but U.N. agencies say these are a poor alternative to letting in more trucks. On Friday, the Israeli military said that 126 food packages were airdropped by six countries, including for the first time France, Spain, and Germany. "If there is political will to allow airdrops - which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings," U.N. Palestinian aid agency chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X. In addition to the three shot near a GHF site, medics said at least 12 other Palestinians were killed in air strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. The Gaza war, which began after Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them in Israeli airstrikes. Ceasefire talks in Qatar ended last week in deadlock.
