Latest news with #MalachyQuinn
Irish Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Migrant effigy on loyalist bonfire in Tyrone labelled 'racist'
An 'overtly racist and threatening" display on a bonfire in Tyrone has been reported to the police - with members of the public and local councillors calling for its removal. The display, placed atop a controversial bonfire in Moygashel, features a small boat with a number of mannequins wearing life-jackets inside it. The display is reportedly a reference to refugees and migrants who make the often dangerous journey across the English Channel from France to reach the UK. The display also features banners reading "stop the boats", "veterans before refugees" and "stop illegal immigration', Belfast Live reports. It is planned to be set alight on Thursday at 10:30pm. There have been widespread calls to remove the 'racist' display from the top of the bonfire, with reports being made to police since it was erected. SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said: "I am absolutely disgusted to see yet another overtly racist and threatening display appear on the bonfire in Moygashel. "Dungannon is a proud, multicultural town. People from all over the world have come here to live, work, raise their families, and build a better life. They deserve respect, safety, and a sense of belonging—just like everyone else. "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. "I have reported this incident to the police. No one—no matter where they are from or what they believe—should be made to feel unsafe or unwelcome in their own home. It's long past time we challenged these toxic displays and the silence that too often surrounds them." Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew slammed the "deplorable' display. "This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-right attitudes,' he shared. 'This is a clear incitement to hatred and must be removed immediately. Those who come to our island to make it their home are not the enemy. 'They are our friends, our neighbours, and are welcomed, cherished and valued by the vast majority of people here. '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.' Alliance Councillor Eddie Roofe said: 'The placing of this racist model on top of the bonfire is despicable and must be removed immediately. It is nothing but a blatant act of racism and hatred, and cannot be excused as a celebration of culture. Those responsible only seek to incite fear and spread far-right beliefs and do not represent the community as a whole. 'Every year, we see incidents of hate and intimidation associated with bonfires, and this behaviour is entirely unacceptable. While Alliance supports everyone's right to celebrate their culture and traditions, these celebrations must be conducted safely and respectfully. They should never come at the expense of another person. 'I urge everyone to speak out against these actions, and I hope to see these inappropriate displays taken down as soon as possible. If we are to move forward as a society, we must all begin to show respect for one another.' A PSNI spokesperson told Belfast Live: "Police are aware of an item placed on a bonfire at the Moygashel area. Enquiries are continuing."
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Migrant boat bonfire criticised as ‘sickening and racist'
A row has broken out over plans to burn an effigy of migrants in a small boat. 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.'
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
SDLP councillor left 'so shaken' after receiving 'graphic' mail
Police enquiries are ongoing into a parcel sent to SDLP Mid-Ulster Councillor Malachy Quinn which contained "vile" and "deeply offensive" images. Quinn received the parcel of more than 40 pages of "graphic" material including what he believes to be abortion images, depictions of Adolf Hitler as well as anti-Semitic material, at the Mid Ulster District Council office on Thursday evening. Police received a report the following day. The parcel was sent using a stamp from the Republic of Ireland. Speaking to BBC News NI, Quinn said receiving the parcel left him feeling "so shaken". Quinn opened the parcel before a meeting with council colleagues on Thursday evening. "The abortion stuff really knocked me for six and confused me," he said. In a statement he said the material "clearly intended to intimidate me and stop me speaking out". "Let me be absolutely clear: it will not work," he added. "I am proud of the work I have done to challenge prejudice, and no anonymous coward hiding behind hate mail will ever change that."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Lack of phone signal is all anyone talks about'
"Unforeseen technical issues" have been causing continuing mobile phone service issues in some rural areas of County Tyrone for almost a month. Local representatives say it has mostly been affecting Mid Ulster's Torrent electoral district in areas such as Coalisland and Clonoe. Members of the community say that areas, which already had poor reception, were in some cases, "complete blackspots with no signal". The problems have been linked to planned upgrade works on a service site that is hosted by O2, but is also used by a number of other mobile phone companies. O2 said the upgrade works in the area were to ensure "fast and reliable connectivity to customers". An O2 spokesperson said, due to "unforeseen technical issues" the work had taken longer than planned. In a statement on its website on Friday evening O2 said it had "completed some improvement work" in the area and that it would continue to "keep a close eye on the network to make sure everything's working as it should". SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn lives in the Washingbay area of County Tyrone. On Friday night he said that while he welcomed confirmation of improvement works, he still had reports of network problems in the area. He said: "It is clear from speaking to residents across my area that many people - particularly those living in more rural and isolated areas - are still experiencing persistent problems with poor or unreliable mobile signal. "In 2025, it should not be too much to ask for people to have consistent access to calls and data, no matter where they live." It is understood the issues were first reported at the end of May. It was raised at a meeting of Mid Ulster District Council last month by independent councillor Dan Kerr. He called for a meeting with the different major mobile networks. During the meeting council chief executive, Adrian McCreesh, stated: "I've [heard] from a number of members around this chamber in recent days about the behaviour of some of our companies, and the lack of ability for people to get connected." Mr McCreesh confirmed he would be organising a meeting with some of the mobile phone companies operating in the areas of Mid Ulster that had continuous reports of poor signal. Brian Kerr owns a barber shop in the Clonoe Village Business Park. He said: "It's all the customers who come into the shop this past while have been talking about, the fact that the phone signal has somehow managed to get worse, and it was already poor. "At my own house, you have to leave the house and go to the top of the driveway to get any signal at all and even then it's patchy." He added: "Something needs to be done about it long-term, because it's affecting a lot of people, not only socially, but they rely on decent phone signal for their businesses as well." Linda Dillon is a Sinn Fein MLA who lives in the Clonoe area and is calling for the issue to be resolved. She said: "Signal problems have lasted a month, and it's caused problems with parents looking to contact their children when they're out and things like that. "A big part of the problem is trying to get information from the phone companies, the communication to the people on the ground and elected representatives has been very poor, which is bad from communication companies." She added: "Unfortunately there are places in this area, like Derrylaughan, that always have had poor signal, but this time it has been more widespread. "At the end of the day it is an equality issue, rural areas should have access to phone signal the same as people living in urban areas." In 2021, three mobile phone networks agreed a deal to build and share masts to improve 4G in rural parts of Northern Ireland. The project was part of the UK government's £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, external, aimed at improving rural internet access. The issue of phone signal has been in the news recently following a series of arson attacks on 5G masts in west Belfast. During a recent debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly about the attacks, DUP MLA Deborah Erskine condemned the incidents but also pointed to the phone signal issues that impact rural communities all year round. Speaking in the assembly, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said: "I would love to have 4G in my area, never mind 5G, and to see improvements made to masts and infrastructure. "Such improvements are needed, not just in west Belfast, but throughout Northern Ireland." In a statement about the connectivity issues in County Tyrone, O2 said: "While these upgrades will lead to improvements in the longer term, we apologise to customers who may have experienced intermittent service issues whilst the works are completed." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Vodafone said: "We're sorry to our customers who are affected by issues with their services. "Our infrastructure partner is aware of the network issues due to planned work on a mast in the area and is working hard to restore services." Phone networks agree rural 4G coverage boost Frustration for residents as phone signal buckles after 5G mast arsons
BBC News
28-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
County Tyrone: Rural phone signal issues impacting community
"Unforeseen technical issues" have been causing continuing mobile phone service issues in some rural areas of County Tyrone for almost a representatives say it has mostly been affecting Mid Ulster's Torrent electoral district in areas such as Coalisland and of the community say that areas, which already had poor reception, were in some cases, "complete blackspots with no signal".The problems have been linked to planned upgrade works on a service site that is hosted by O2, but is also used by a number of other mobile phone companies. O2 said the upgrade works in the area were to ensure "fast and reliable connectivity to customers". An O2 spokesperson said, due to "unforeseen technical issues" the work had taken longer than planned. In a statement on its website on Friday evening O2 said it had "completed some improvement work" in the area and that it would continue to "keep a close eye on the network to make sure everything's working as it should".SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn lives in the Washingbay area of County Friday night he said that while he welcomed confirmation of improvement works, he still had reports of network problems in the said: "It is clear from speaking to residents across my area that many people - particularly those living in more rural and isolated areas - are still experiencing persistent problems with poor or unreliable mobile signal."In 2025, it should not be too much to ask for people to have consistent access to calls and data, no matter where they live." It is understood the issues were first reported at the end of was raised at a meeting of Mid Ulster District Council last month by independent councillor Dan called for a meeting with the different major mobile the meeting council chief executive, Adrian McCreesh, stated: "I've [heard] from a number of members around this chamber in recent days about the behaviour of some of our companies, and the lack of ability for people to get connected."Mr McCreesh confirmed he would be organising a meeting with some of the mobile phone companies operating in the areas of Mid Ulster that had continuous reports of poor signal. 'Something needs done' Brian Kerr owns a barber shop in the Clonoe Village Business said: "It's all the customers who come into the shop this past while have been talking about, the fact that the phone signal has somehow managed to get worse, and it was already poor."At my own house, you have to leave the house and go to the top of the driveway to get any signal at all and even then it's patchy."He added: "Something needs to be done about it long-term, because it's affecting a lot of people, not only socially, but they rely on decent phone signal for their businesses as well." Linda Dillon is a Sinn Fein MLA who lives in the Clonoe area and is calling for the issue to be said: "Signal problems have lasted a month, and it's caused problems with parents looking to contact their children when they're out and things like that."A big part of the problem is trying to get information from the phone companies, the communication to the people on the ground and elected representatives has been very poor, which is bad from communication companies."She added: "Unfortunately there are places in this area, like Derrylaughan, that always have had poor signal, but this time it has been more widespread."At the end of the day it is an equality issue, rural areas should have access to phone signal the same as people living in urban areas."In 2021, three mobile phone networks agreed a deal to build and share masts to improve 4G in rural parts of Northern project was part of the UK government's £1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, external, aimed at improving rural internet access. The issue of phone signal has been in the news recently following a series of arson attacks on 5G masts in west a recent debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly about the attacks, DUP MLA Deborah Erskine condemned the incidents but also pointed to the phone signal issues that impact rural communities all year in the assembly, the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said: "I would love to have 4G in my area, never mind 5G, and to see improvements made to masts and infrastructure."Such improvements are needed, not just in west Belfast, but throughout Northern Ireland."In a statement about the connectivity issues in County Tyrone, O2 said: "While these upgrades will lead to improvements in the longer term, we apologise to customers who may have experienced intermittent service issues whilst the works are completed."Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Vodafone said: "We're sorry to our customers who are affected by issues with their services."Our infrastructure partner is aware of the network issues due to planned work on a mast in the area and is working hard to restore services."
