A mock police vehicle, decked out like a PSNI car, set ablaze atop a bonfire in County Tyrone has drawn extensive condemnation. As part of the yearly July 11th ceremonies, approximately 300 bonfires are anticipated to be ignited in loyalist regions throughout Northern Ireland, leading up to the Orange Order marches on July 12th, involving thousands of members.
The area of Moygashel, located near Dungannon, was one of the first locations where a bonfire was lit. This was done on Wednesday evening, with hundreds of pallets arranged in a cylindrical shape to form the structure. The Vauxhall car, made up to resemble a PSNI vehicle, was hoisted on top of the bonfire before it was ignited.
Additionally, an Irish Tricolour flag along with a banner inscribed with the words “Saoirse don Phalaistin” – meaning ‘Freedom for Palestine’ – were used to decorate the bonfire. A large crowd congregated to witness the pyre ablaze, but the unstable construction soon collapsed into trees nearby.
The scene was denounced by Kenny Donaldson, who heads the South East Fermanagh Foundation victims’ group. He argued that the burning of the replica police car was entirely unconscionable, and he dismissed suggestions that it might be considered artistic expression.
Donaldson said, “There are those who will argue that this is merely innocuous fun and that critics are overly sensitive or driven by anti-Protestant/unionist cultural prejudice. But it’s important to recognise our opposition is rooted in the fact that every PSNI member confronts life-threatening risks daily in a society where some people are still intent on killing them”, in a sharp refutation.
Donaldson paid tribute to the deceased PSNI officers Stephen Carroll and Ronan Kerr, and also acknowledged those who’d been subjected to assassination attempts but survived, including Peadar Heffron and John Caldwell.
Anyone who does not openly criticise such actions is passively endorsing their behaviour, Donaldson warned, adding that it has led to a great deal of distress and confusion within the police and the wider community.
Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, lambasted the burning of the mock police vehicle as “utterly deplorable”. Beattie said on social media that the people behind such actions inadvertently undermined their own demands for respecting cultural differences.
This isn’t the first time a bonfire gathering in this area has spurred controversy.
In the year 2023, atop of a pyre in Moygashel, an anti-Northern Ireland Protocol bonfire was crafted with a boat as its centerpiece. The maritime craft symbolised the dissent of unionist and loyalist communities towards the trading terms post-Brexit that involved the Irish Sea. Decorations on the boat included the Irish flag, a portrait of the taoiseach at that time, Leo Varadkar, and a placard proclaiming ‘Good Friday Agreement? That ship has sailed.’ – PA.