Council could move to end ‘pro-Nazi’ loyalist bonfire

The inherently sectarian, racist and violent campaign that lies at the heart of ‘Eleventh Night’ bonfires in the north of Ireland has been exposed by the contents of a bonfire builders’ hut in Belfast.

The world’s largest hate event, hundreds of bonfires on the eve of the Orange Order’s Twelfth of July parades revolve around the symbolic burning of signs, posters and emblems of the Catholic community.

In this instance, a hut in east Belfast used by those building a bonfire there displayed a Nazi Swastika, stuck onto a table alongside paramilitary symbolism and a flag featuring an RPG rocket launcher.

The letters KAT, ‘Kill All Taigs (Catholics)’, had also been scrawled onto a sofa along with an obscene image, according to an Irish News report.

The construction of the bonfire at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in east Belfast is supported by Belfast city council, which maintains the facility. It is going ahead despite the high risk of damage to the the £20m leisure centre.

In the past, people have suffered serious injuries and lost their lives at publicly funded bonfires in the North. In 2021, a teenager sustained severe injuries after being engulfed in a fireball at an Eleventh Night bonfire in the Silverstream Crescent area of north Belfast. Similarly, a teenage boy had to be airlifted to hospital after falling off a bonfire in Cookstown, County Tyrone. A loyalist, John Steele, tragically fell to his death while building a bonfire in Larne last year.

The Alliance Party was among those who condemned the images placed at the bonfire hut. Alliance Party councillor Michael Long spoke of his disappointment at the development.

“From my point of view it is sad,” he said. “It’s a fantastic facility that cost £20m from ratepayers to be under threat like this every year.”

Mr Long said authorities are still discussing how to approach this year’s event after playing fields were damaged last year.

“Why people would want to potentially cause that sort of damage is beyond me.”

But within hours of his comments, an office linked to him was targeted in a graffiti attack.

“They don’t seem to realise that I am not going to be silenced on these matters,” Mr Long added.

He called for action to be taken over the level of council support for the bonfire.

“I think the reality is it is on council land and I have been calling for action proactively for a number of months on this particular one to see what we can do to address the problems.”

He said he expects the matter to be raised at forthcoming council meetings.

“We will be making it clear that it’s our view that action should be taken by the council to stop damage to their property and I think also whenever there is racist and sectarian and paramilitary symbols on our land it doesn’t send a very good signal to have it just left there.”

Urgent Appeal