A 300-year-old bonfire tradition in Northern Ireland has taken a concerning turn, with a replica mosque being burned in the village of Moygashel, County Tyrone. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation, with many labeling it a hate crime.

Background

The bonfire tradition, which dates back to the Battle of the Boyne, is typically held in loyalist neighborhoods to mark the victory of King William III over King James II. However, this year’s display in Moygashel took a different turn, with a replica mosque being burned, complete with a figure holding what appeared to be an ISIS flag and banners reading ‘Secure our borders’ and ‘End the threat of radical Islam’.

The group responsible, the Mogyashel Bonfire Association, defended the display as ‘lawful protected expression’ and ‘political protest,’ stating that their opposition is not to people, but rather to ideology and government policy.

Condemnation and Response

The incident has been met with widespread condemnation, with the Church of Ireland and Catholic archbishops issuing a rare joint statement calling it ‘grossly offensive.’ Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, also denounced the act, labeling it ‘sickening and cowardly.’

Police are treating the display as a ‘hate motivated crime,’ and have charged a 56-year-old man with incitement to hatred. The man denied the charges at a hearing and was refused bail.

The incident comes as anti-Muslim hate crimes rise across Northern Ireland and the wider UK. According to Amnesty International, race hate crime in Northern Ireland has reached its highest level since records began in 2004.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.