Latest news with #JamieBryson
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
‘A hopeless case': Jamie Bryson writes to DPP and Assembly Speaker over Nama trial issues
Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson has written to the speakers of both the Assembly and the House of Commons raising concerns over the approach taken by the prosecution in the so-called 'Nama trial'.
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hate incident investigation after bonfire topped with migrant effigy lit in Northern Ireland
A loyalist bonfire in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, featuring a controversial effigy of migrants in a boat and an Irish tricolour flag, has been lit. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed they are investigating the pyre as a hate incident. The bonfire is one of around 300 expected to be lit across Northern Ireland on Thursday and Friday nights, ahead of the Orange Order's annual July 12 parades. The contentious display has drawn widespread criticism from political representatives across the entire spectrum in the region. Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland John McDowell described it as 'racist, threatening and offensive'. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland director, described the bonfire as a 'vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism'. The boat containing more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets was unveiled on top of the bonfire. Below the boat are several placards, one saying 'stop the boats' and another 'veterans before refugees'. The Moygashel bonfire has become well known in recent years for contentious displays. Last year, a mock police car was burnt on the top of the bonfire and in 2023 a boat designed to represent the post-Brexit Irish Sea economic border was torched. Prominent loyalist activist Jamie Bryson said it was a form of 'artistic protest'. 'Every year Moygashel bonfire combines artistic protest with their cultural celebration,' he posted on X. 'Their yearly art has itself become a tradition. 'This year the focus is on the scandal of mass illegal immigration.' Earlier on Thursday police said they had received a number of reports regarding the bonfire in Moygashel and the material on it. ' Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,' they said. 'We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.'
Powys County Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Police will not assist in removal of contentious bonfire in Belfast
Police have said they will not assist in the removal of a contentious loyalist bonfire in Belfast which is due to be lit on Friday. Belfast City Council had asked the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to assist contractors in dismantling the pyre due to safety concerns. But the PSNI confirmed on Thursday that the risk of the bonfire was deemed 'lower and more manageable' than intervention. Concerns have been raised over the bonfire, which is on a site which contains asbestos and is close to an electricity substation which powers two hospitals. Meanwhile, police said they are investigating the placing of effigies of migrants in a boat on a bonfire in Co Tyrone as a hate incident. An Irish tricolour flag was also placed on top of the bonfire. Earlier, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland John McDowell described the effigy of as 'inhuman and deeply sub-Christian'. The bonfire in Moygashel, on the outskirts of Dungannon, is set to be lit late on Thursday night. In a statement hours before it was due to be lit, police said they have received a number of reports about it and the material place upon it. 'Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,' they said. 'We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.' The structure in south Belfast appeared to have been lowered slightly on Thursday evening, which the bonfire builders described to the BBC as an 'olive branch to those concerned'. The High Court in Belfast heard two applications for judicial review concerning the bonfire. One challenged its siting while the other questioned a move by a Belfast City Council to suspend the call-in mechanism to intervene before voting to send in contractors to remove it. The second challenge was taken by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, however Mr Justice O'Hara queried why DUP councillors had not taken the action. Both cases were adjourned following news of the police decision not to support the removal of the bonfire. The city council committee voted on Wednesday to send contractors to remove the towering pyre on Meridi Street off the Donegall Road. The PSNI stated that the decision had been taken not to assist a request from the council for the removal of material. A spokesperson said: 'Following comprehensive engagement with all relevant stakeholders, an evidence based assessment, and taking into consideration all of the risks associated with the removal, we have determined that police should not assist the proposed actions of Belfast City Council. 'This decision, which involved an examination of the legality, necessity and proportionality of the police involvement in the proposed action by Belfast City Council. 'This involved carefully balancing potentially competing statutory and human rights obligations.' The statement added that following a meeting with stakeholders, the risk of the bonfire was deemed 'lower and more manageable' than intervention. 'After receiving a formal request for assistance from Belfast City Council the Police Service of Northern Ireland chaired a multi-agency Tactical Coordination Group meeting on Wednesday evening. 'The purpose of this meeting was to gain shared situational awareness and a comprehensive understanding of the actual risks associated with this bonfire and the council's proposed action. 'Amongst those present were the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland Electricity, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and Belfast City Council. 'During this multi-agency meeting all partners considered the environmental risks associated with the asbestos on the site, the risks related to the electricity sub-station as well as the risks to public safety on a site occupied by members of the public, including children. 'The consensus of the meeting was that the risk of the bonfire proceeding as planned was lower and more manageable than the intervention of contractors and the proposed methodology of dismantling the bonfire. 'The Police Service will continue to work with partners and communities to manage the remaining risks surrounding this bonfire.' There are around 300 bonfires set to be lit across Thursday and Friday night ahead of the Orange Order's July 12 parades on Saturday. The traditional fires are lit ahead of the main date in the parading calendar of Protestant loyal orders, the Twelfth Of July. While most of the bonfires pass off without incident, several have become the focus of contention due to the placing of flags, effigies and election posters on the structures before they are ignited.
Leader Live
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Police will not assist in removal of contentious bonfire in Belfast
Belfast City Council had asked the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to assist contractors in dismantling the pyre due to safety concerns. But the PSNI confirmed on Thursday that the risk of the bonfire was deemed 'lower and more manageable' than intervention. Concerns have been raised over the bonfire, which is on a site which contains asbestos and is close to an electricity substation which powers two hospitals. Meanwhile, police said they are investigating the placing of effigies of migrants in a boat on a bonfire in Co Tyrone as a hate incident. An Irish tricolour flag was also placed on top of the bonfire. Earlier, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland John McDowell described the effigy of as 'inhuman and deeply sub-Christian'. The bonfire in Moygashel, on the outskirts of Dungannon, is set to be lit late on Thursday night. In a statement hours before it was due to be lit, police said they have received a number of reports about it and the material place upon it. 'Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,' they said. 'We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.' The structure in south Belfast appeared to have been lowered slightly on Thursday evening, which the bonfire builders described to the BBC as an 'olive branch to those concerned'. The High Court in Belfast heard two applications for judicial review concerning the bonfire. One challenged its siting while the other questioned a move by a Belfast City Council to suspend the call-in mechanism to intervene before voting to send in contractors to remove it. The second challenge was taken by loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, however Mr Justice O'Hara queried why DUP councillors had not taken the action. Both cases were adjourned following news of the police decision not to support the removal of the bonfire. The city council committee voted on Wednesday to send contractors to remove the towering pyre on Meridi Street off the Donegall Road. The PSNI stated that the decision had been taken not to assist a request from the council for the removal of material. A spokesperson said: 'Following comprehensive engagement with all relevant stakeholders, an evidence based assessment, and taking into consideration all of the risks associated with the removal, we have determined that police should not assist the proposed actions of Belfast City Council. 'This decision, which involved an examination of the legality, necessity and proportionality of the police involvement in the proposed action by Belfast City Council. 'This involved carefully balancing potentially competing statutory and human rights obligations.' The statement added that following a meeting with stakeholders, the risk of the bonfire was deemed 'lower and more manageable' than intervention. 'After receiving a formal request for assistance from Belfast City Council the Police Service of Northern Ireland chaired a multi-agency Tactical Coordination Group meeting on Wednesday evening. 'The purpose of this meeting was to gain shared situational awareness and a comprehensive understanding of the actual risks associated with this bonfire and the council's proposed action. 'Amongst those present were the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland Electricity, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and Belfast City Council. 'During this multi-agency meeting all partners considered the environmental risks associated with the asbestos on the site, the risks related to the electricity sub-station as well as the risks to public safety on a site occupied by members of the public, including children. 'The consensus of the meeting was that the risk of the bonfire proceeding as planned was lower and more manageable than the intervention of contractors and the proposed methodology of dismantling the bonfire. 'The Police Service will continue to work with partners and communities to manage the remaining risks surrounding this bonfire.' There are around 300 bonfires set to be lit across Thursday and Friday night ahead of the Orange Order's July 12 parades on Saturday. The traditional fires are lit ahead of the main date in the parading calendar of Protestant loyal orders, the Twelfth Of July. While most of the bonfires pass off without incident, several have become the focus of contention due to the placing of flags, effigies and election posters on the structures before they are ignited.
Belfast Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Police investigating ‘migrant boat' on loyalist bonfire in Moygashel as ‘hate incident'
The bonfire, which has caused controversy in recent years, has also been festooned with anti-immigration placards with one sign reading 'stop the boats' while another reads 'veterans before refugees' Police said they had received a number of reports regarding the pyre. "The PSNI has received a number of reports regarding the bonfire in Moygashel and the material that has been placed upon it,' said a spokesperson. 'Police are investigating this hate incident. 'Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe. "We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.' It comes after a senior Protestant church leader condemned the effigy as 'racist, threatening and offensive'. Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell quoted from the book of Leviticus (19:34) which states 'the stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt' which he described as 'the words from the Law of God to his people'. 'If we compare them with the effigy of a boat of migrants which sits, to our humiliation and lasting shame, on top of a bonfire in Moygashel, it exposes that effigy for what it is – racist, threatening and offensive," the clergyman added. 'It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or with Protestant culture and is in fact inhuman and deeply sub-Christian. 'I hope that the many people from other countries, who live in that area, and who contribute so much to the economy and to the diversity of Dungannon, can be reassured that it does not in any way represent the feeling of the vast majority of their neighbours.' Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Thursday, loyalist activist Jamie Bryson insisted the effigy was an 'act of artistic political protest', arguing it was not illegal, even if 'inevitably controversial'. 'Every year with this bonfire there's two conceptually different things; there's the cultural expression of the bonfire and then there's the act of artistic political protest and this bonfire combines the two concepts together,' he told Good Morning Ulster. "It's inevitably controversial; there will be questions in respect of taste and that will be up for debate but it's certainly not unlawful and I think a lot of the people who are criticising this are the same people who are defending Kneecap, and we don't need to go through each of Kneecap's controversies.' Last year there was criticism after a mock-up of a PSNI vehicle was placed on top of the bonfire. Many have hit out at the latest stunt, branding it 'racist', while the PSNI has said it is 'aware of an item placed on a bonfire at the Moygashel area' and 'enquiries are continuing'. First Minister Michelle O'Neill described the display as 'openly racist'. "Many people will celebrate their culture and traditions this week,' she said. "Unfortunately, we have seen incidents that pose serious risks to life, property, the health of residents and vital public services, alongside openly racist displays that are sickening and deplorable. "Political leadership is essential to ensure the safety of residents, patients and the wider public. "It is entirely wrong, and completely unacceptable for these bonfires to take place in a way that endangers property, infrastructure, public services or lives. "It's time for leadership to be shown.' Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland director, described the bonfire as a "vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism". "It cruelly mocks the suffering of people who risk everything to flee war, persecution, and hardship in search of safety,' he said. "Beyond being morally reprehensible, it incites hostility toward already marginalised and vulnerable communities. "Amnesty International urges the authorities to ensure its immediate removal and calls on the PSNI to investigate and hold those responsible to account. "A clear and unequivocal message must be sent that xenophobia and incitement to hatred have no place in our society." A spokesperson for the United Against Racism campaign group said the display is particularly concerning following the racist rioting in Ballymena and elsewhere across Northern Ireland last month, which forced more than a dozen foreign national families from their homes. "In a context of widespread violence against migrants and their homes, the burning of effigies is a precursor to the burning of people,' the spokesperson said. 'Given recent events in Ballymena, and our own recent history, we must be alive to the real dangers that such acts carry. "This is an absolutely shocking attempt to intimidate people who are fleeing war, poverty and persecution. It deserves unreserved and unequivocal condemnation, and United Against Racism calls on political representatives to show leadership to ensure the effigy is removed.' SDLP leader Claire Hanna called for leadership over bonfires, referencing the Moygashel pyre and a bonfire in south Belfast that has sparked fears over nearby asbestos and the potential to cause power outages at hospitals. Ms Hanna said her party 'supports the right of people to mark traditions in a safe and respectful way', but that 'cannot mean turning a blind eye to very real and serious concerns around public safety and community cohesion'. 'There is nothing cultural or traditional about exposing people to asbestos, endangering critical infrastructure or fuelling racial hatred through effigies demonising immigrants,' she said. The Belfast South and Mid Down MP said progress in managing bonfires in recent years is being 'undermined by a lack of leadership and by a small number of self-appointed figures who seek to drag communities backwards and who seem to thrive on confrontation and media engagement.' Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew also voiced his concerns. 'This is an absolutely disgusting act, fuelled by sickening racist and far-right attitudes,' he said. '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 Party councillor for the area, Eddie Roofe, also called for the display to be taken down. 'The placing of this racist model on top of the bonfire is despicable and must be removed immediately,' he said. '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.' The depiction of migrants in a boat on top of the pyre follows successive nights of racist violence across Northern Ireland last month, which saw dozens of homes attacked and more than 60 PSNI officers injured. Due to the violence, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive had to provide emergency accommodation to 18 families.
