(Human Events)—A celebration in the Northern Irish town of Moygashel, in County Tyrone, is under investigation after a migrant boat in effigy was set ablaze as part of anti-immigration protests. The boat held life-sized mannequins in life jackers who resembled migrants and banners on the blaze read “stop the boats” and “veterans before refugees.” It’s being looked into as a “hate incident.”
The celebration was to mark the Twelfth of July, which commemorates a 1690 victory of Protestant King William III over Catholic King James II. Celebrations like these used to result in violence in Northern Ireland as Protestants and Catholics would clash over British versus home rule of Ireland.
A traditional celebration of Protestants in Northern Ireland to celebrate the 1690 defeat of Catholic King James II saw locals burn a migrant ship in effigy. It’s being investigated as a “hate incident.”
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) July 12, 2025
Irish Church head Archbishop John McDowell said the burning of the boat in effigy, which was atop a bonfire, was a “humiliation and lasting shame.” He went on to say that it was “racist, threatening and offensive,” per The New York Times.
“It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or with Protestant culture and is in fact inhuman and deeply sub-Christian,” he said. “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.”
“Police have received a number of reports regarding the bonfire in Moygashel and the material that has been placed upon it,” read a statement from police. “Police are investigating this hate incident.
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