Migrant boat bonfire criticised as ‘sickening and racist'
It forms part of a bonfire in the village of Moygashel, near Dungannon, Co Tyrone, which is to be burnt as part of the annual July 12 celebrations by loyalists.
At the top is a boat filled with 12 dummies wearing life jackets and hi-vis jackets. A sign strapped to the side of the pyre reads 'stop the boats'.
Another banner reads 'veterans before refugees' with an image of two guns.
Critics branded the display a 'disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-Right attitudes'.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been contacted amid calls to take it down.
Bonfires are lit in unionist areas of Northern Ireland in the evening of every July 11, ahead of July 12 parades to mark the victory of the protestant William of Orange over deposed King James II's Catholic forces at the Battle of the Boyne.
'I am absolutely disgusted to see yet another overtly racist and threatening display appear on the bonfire in Moygashel,' Malachy Quinn, an SDLP councillor, told the Irish News.
'Those responsible for this hateful display claim to be celebrating British culture. Let's be clear: racism and intimidation are not culture. This isn't pride – it's poison. It is an affront to every decent person in our community.'
'This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-Right attitudes. This is a clear incitement to hatred and must be removed immediately.' said Colm Gildernew, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA.
Mr Gildernew urged unionist politicians to distance themselves from the bonfire, saying: 'Political leaders in this area must step up, call for the removal of these offensive materials and make it clear they do not support such vile, deplorable views.'
However, Jamie Bryson, a loyalist blogger and activist, defended the bonfire, saying the European Court of Human Rights had ruled that burning effigies was 'legitimate political expression'.
'Those who have spent recent months defending Kneecap and labelling their performances as artistic expression are the same people criticising this act of political protest,' he said, referring to the controversial Irish language rap group, which supports a united Ireland.
'Cultural expression and political protest are conceptually two different things. Traditionally in Moygashel they use their cultural celebration to put in place an artistic political protest in respect of a contemporary issue of controversy. That's entirely legitimate.
'Many of those complaining are the same people who are the main cheerleaders for the ECHR and slavish deference to the rulings of that court.'
Channel crossings at record high
It comes as Channel crossings reached a record 20,600 so far this year – the highest since they began in 2018.
Last month, there were anti-migrant riots in Ballymena, which spread across Northern Ireland over two weeks of disorder that ended with 56 arrests and 107 police officers injured.
In London, Sir Keir Starmer is fighting to secure a new deal to drive down numbers during a state visit by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, this week.
It is not the first time a July 12 bonfire in Moygashel has caused anger. Last year, a fake police car was burnt on the village's bonfire, which was particularly controversial in a country where officers are often targeted for attack.
In 2023, police launched a hate crime investigation after an Irish flag and a picture of Leo Varadkar, the then Taoiseach, were placed on a bonfire in the village.
The flag and poster were put on a boat as a protest against the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, which created the Irish Sea customs border with Britain. On the side of the boat was a banner reading 'Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed.'
At Glastonbury last year, an inflatable boat with dummies representing refugees was surfed through the crowd. The dinghy was designed by artist Banksy and launched during a concert by Bristol punk bank Idles as they sang lyrics declaring 'My blood brother is an immigrant. A beautiful immigrant.'
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"They certainly do in two respects," says Prof David Super, from Georgetown University Law Center."There's no evidence the US is giving people a chance to challenge their deportation, and they're not permitted to send people to countries where they might face oppression."South Sudan and Eswatini have serious questions about their human rights records," he tells the the migrants were first bound for South Sudan in May, a legal challenge was filed in a US district court after the flight had already taken judge ruled that the attempts to deport the men had violated his order that migrants must be allowed to challenge their removal to third plane was rerouted to Djibouti, on the East African coast, where the men were reportedly held in a shipping container on a US military base while the case was case was referred to the Supreme Court which allowed the deportations to proceed but did not specify whether South Sudan was deemed a safe place for the migrants."What we've seen in similar cases is that people are often denied legal help when they need it, and proceedings begin far too late," says Dr Edwards."In this case, they were already en route to a US military base and that's deeply problematic."She adds that the courts must remain apolitical, especially when basic rights are at declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertaintyUS cuts visa validity for most Nigerian applicantsTrump's tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pactProf Brescia warns that the Supreme Court's decision could set a dangerous precedent."There's real concern it will encourage the administration to move even faster, before individuals can access the courts at all," he says. 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In Eswatini, a small landlocked kingdom in southern Africa, officials say the migrants are in a correctional facility and will be repatriated with support from the International Organization of Migration (IOM).The US State Department has said Eswatini's prisons face problems of overcrowding, poor ventilation, and deficiencies in dietary nutrition and health services."We don't foresee they will stay long enough to be integrated into society," Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told the BBC, without giving any indication of how long they would stay in the country, or whether they would serve the rest of their sentences US government says those who have been deported to Eswatini committed "barbaric" crimes including child rape, murder and sexual assault.A backlash is growing in country's largest opposition party, the People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) says that the agreement between the two countries was "human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal".Pro-democracy activist Lucky Lukhele says the country must not become "a dumping ground for criminals". Even if international law has been violated, Prof Super says the US is unlikely to face consequences as it does not recognise many international courts."This appears to be about deterrence, sending a message that if you come to the US you'll be treated very, very harshly," he of legality, third-country deportations often place vulnerable individuals in unfamiliar environments with little support or legal status, says Dr Edwards."It's a deeply flawed idea."She stresses that the human rights community is not trying to block each and every deportation - only where people face human rights violations. What's in it for the host countries? The details of the deportation deals remain largely Mdluli tells the BBC that Eswatini's reasons for accepting the deportees "remains classified information for now".However, both the Eswatini and South Sudan governments cited their strong ties with the US as a key Brescia suggests some countries may fear US retaliation if they refuse, such as stricter visa rules or higher April, the US said it would revoke all visas issued to South Sudanese nationals after it would not accept a deported is not clear if that has changed, now that it has accepted deportees from the activist Machar says South Sudan has also agreed to this deal as it wants the US to lift sanctions on Vice-President Benjamin Bol Mel. The US government issued sanctions against Bol Mel in 2021 due to alleged corruption and renewed them this other countries, like Nigeria, are pushing back."We have enough problems of our own," Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said in July, rejecting a request to take in Venezuelan Edwards notes that such deals often come with incentives."In past arrangements of third-country deportations, large sums of money, as well as military and security cooperation, were part of the package," she March, reports said the Trump administration would pay El Salvador $6m (£4.5m) to accept Venezuelan deportees. You may also be interested in: US cuts visa validity for applicants from four African countriesSix things Trump should know about Liberia after he praised leader's 'good English'Why Trump invited five African leaders to the White House Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
