Police have been urged to intervene after a replica of a mosque was placed on top of a loyalist bonfire pyre in Co Tyrone.<\/p>\n
The model was visible on top of the pyre in Moygashel on Thursday. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)<\/a> said one man had been arrested.<\/p>\n Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn<\/a> described the bonfire display as a \u201csickening and cowardly act of intimidation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not about tradition, and in no way does it represent the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland. We must stand united and completely reject such hatred.\u201d<\/p>\n The Moygashel Bonfire Association said it had \u201cnoted the predictable fury in respect of the act of political protest at our bonfire site this year\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year we have focused on an issue of significant public interest,\u201d it said. \u201cIf there was no uncontrolled illegal mass immigration, we would have no need to protest on this issue.<\/p>\n \u201cOur display expressly does not target any individual. We make that very clear. Our opposition is not to people, but rather to ideology and government policy.\u201d<\/p>\n Signs saying \u201csecure our borders\u201d and \u201cend the threat of radical Islam\u201d have also been placed on the pyre, which is made up of pallets and is due to be set alight on Friday night.<\/p>\n The same bonfire site has attracted controversy in previous years. Last year there was condemnation after effigies of migrants in a boat were burned on the Moygashel fire.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Keir Starmer was quick to condemn Kneecap, but strangely silent on MoygashelOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n