The placing of effigies of female politicians on a Co Antrim bonfire has been described as “utterly sick” by Stormont’s justice minister Naomi Long.
Police are investigating after it emerged that images of the Alliance Party leader and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill were hung from a loyalist pyre in the Glenfield area of Carrickfergus on July 11th.
Ms Long said she reported the incident to the PSNI after being forwarded photographs on Tuesday night.
She said on Wednesday that she has become “accustomed” to seeing her posters burned on bonfires and “honestly thought nothing could shock me anymore”.
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“I felt physically sick at those photos – not just at the effigies but at the festering hatred and sectarianism they represent; hatred that not only persists in our community but is being passed on to the next generation as normal,” she said on Twitter. “This has to stop. Our children deserve better.”
Ms Long added that she would not share the images “due to risk of distressing families who had lost loved ones by suicide” and “because they are utterly sick”.
“These were not last-minute additions. There are photos of a children’s ‘fun day’ taking place at this fire while our effigies were hanging on it. Some local businesses even sponsored it,” she wrote.
“What kind of parent would see that and think it’s acceptable for their child to see?”
Sinn Féin branded the burning of effigies at loyalist bonfires as “hate crimes”. The party’s north Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said they had reported several incidents to police.
“The police say they have been gathering evidence on these hate crimes, what the public needs to see is action,” he said. “All this highlights the need for safeguarding regulations around bonfires which has become an imperative.”
Mr Kelly called on Unionist political and community leaders to “stand up against these these displays of sectarian hatred and make it clear that there is no place for them in this society”.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie posted a tweet in response to Ms Long comments, in which he condemned the Carrickfergus bonfire as “utterly vile”.
“Hanging effigies on bonfires does not represent the union and unionist culture I believe in. Staying silent cannot be an option,” he wrote.
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson DUP also expressed his opposition to the displays. “Whilst the overwhelming number of Twelfth celebrations were hugely successful, some events require further work and other displays must be outrightly condemned as wrong,” he said.
“Throughout my lifetime I have had the privilege to celebrate and educate others about my identity all over the world. At no point has burning posters, flags or pictures of serving politicians featured as part of that. Nor has slogans or displays that advocate sectarian violence against anyone in this society regardless of their political position or religious views.”
A PSNI spokeswoman said: “The police service is aware of images which have emerged showing effigies placed on a bonfire in Carrickfergus and are investigating.”
