Bonfire with Mosque Replica Lit in Moygashel
A bonfire featuring a replica mosque placed atop it was ignited on Thursday evening in Moygashel, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has classified the effigy as a "hate-motivated criminal offence." A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the bonfire was set alight on Thursday evening.
The effigy was positioned on the pyre on Wednesday evening, although the bonfire was originally scheduled to be lit on Friday. Police have arrested a 56-year-old man on suspicion of displaying threatening, abusive, or insulting material intended to stir up hatred.
The lighting of the bonfire followed widespread condemnation. Justice Minister Naomi Long described the effigy as a
"nauseating spectacle of hatred"and urged those responsible for constructing the bonfire to remove it. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn called the act a
"sickening and cowardly act of intimidation."
In response, the Moygashel Bonfire Association issued a statement acknowledging that the display might
"shock, offend or outrage,"but asserted that those involved were exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Previous Moygashel Controversies
Moygashel's annual bonfire has a history of featuring contentious displays. In 2025, an effigy depicting refugees in a boat was placed atop the bonfire and burned when the pyre was lit. In 2024, a replica police car was set on fire, while in 2023, a photograph of then Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar alongside an Irish flag was placed on the bonfire.
Bonfires are traditionally lit annually in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland in July to mark the Twelfth of July, the principal date in the parading season. Most bonfires are ignited on 11 July, known as the Eleventh Night.
The Twelfth commemorates the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when the Protestant King William III defeated the Catholic King James II.
