Northern Ireland man arrested over mosque bonfire display

Northern Irish police arrested a 56-year-old man after a replica mosque was placed on a bonfire in Moygashel, a village about 40 miles west of Belfast.

Police said they were aware of the item on top of the bonfire and that the man had been arrested on suspicion of contravening public order legislation.

Signs reading “Secure our borders” and “End the threat of radical Islam” were also placed on the pyre. The model of the mosque carried the words “Islamic fascism.”

Amnesty International said the display was “vile” and called it an attempt to stir up anti-Muslim hatred and intimidate local families.

Bonfires made from wooden pallets are lit across Northern Ireland each year before Orange Order parades on July 12, which mark a Protestant victory over Catholics in 1690. Some bonfires have drawn controversy over flags, effigies and anti-Catholic or anti-immigration signs.