Replica mosque burned in Northern Ireland as police investigate hate crime

A replica of a mosque, placed on a bonfire in a pro-British town near Belfast, was set alight on Thursday night before police had a chance to remove what they described as a “hate display” that was condemned by politicians across the region.

Bonfires are lit across the British region in mainly Protestant “loyalist” neighbourhoods on the eve of July 12 commemorations of William of Orange’s victory over the Roman Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The replica mosque on a tall structure of wooden pallets, erected a month after anti-migrant violence swept Belfast, was due to be set alight in front of large crowds on Friday but was lit a day early as police were preparing to remove it, organisers said on Facebook.

“Had the bonfire not been lit, police would have secured the site and removed the offending material and seized it as evidence. Hate crime has no place in our society and will not be tolerated,” Police Chief Superintendent Norman Haslett said in a statement.

A 56-year-old man charged with incitement to hatred is due to appear in court on Friday.

‘Act of intimidation’