A Sinn Féin MLA has urged political and community leaders to “take a stand against division” after the re‑erection of a controversial banner in Moygashel – while a local cultural association has written to the PSNI defending it as a form of protest and questioning the decision to remove it.
During a debate at Stormont on Monday, South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew told the Assembly that racist imagery which had appeared in the Moygashel area of Dungannon in recent weeks had rightly been taken down by police and made the subject of a criminal investigation – but has since gone back up at a children’s play park.
“In recent weeks we have seen once again the appearance of racist imagery in the Moygashel of Dungannon. This was rightly removed by the PSNI, who also commenced a criminal investigation into this act,” he said.
“This banner has now disgracefully been re‑erected with the clear intention of sowing division, hatred, prejudice, and fear in our community.
“I would call on all political representatives and community leaders in Fermanagh and South Tyrone to strongly and immediately condemn the re‑erection of this banner, and to call for its immediate removal. The presence of masked men at this children’s park is a further sinister development, which must also be called out and investigated.
“There is no place in our society for racism. It is time to take a stand against division and to stand up for inclusion and respect.”
Mr Gildernew linked the Moygashel incident to what he described as a wider pattern of hate‑motivated incidents, including an arson attack on a building in the Shankill area of Belfast at the weekend.
“We’ve also seen the deplorable arson attack in the Shankill area of Belfast over the weekend. I utterly condemn this arson attack,” he said.
“Targeting a building because of who owns it is despicable, especially when areas are crying out for jobs and for investment. This is a man who’s lived here for over 20 years, investing in our community and seeking to build something positive.
“My thoughts are with the owners of this building and all of those affected by this appalling incident. There is no place in our society for hate crime, racism, or sectarianism in any form. All political representatives and community leaders should condemn this strongly.
“Those responsible for this attack sought to spread fear and division and do nothing but damage their own communities. I would urge anyone with information that can assist the investigation to come forward and contact the PSNI immediately.”
Sinn Féin South Down MLA Sinéad Ennis used the debate to press Deputy First Minister Emma Little‑Pengelly on her party’s stance on the Moygashel banner and its removal.
“Deputy First Minister, so on the subject of masked men, will you explain to the House why your party representative challenged the PSNI decision to remove the hate banner from Moygashel?” she asked.
“And then will you also explain, or will you also, sorry, condemn the re‑erection of that hate banner at the play park in Moygashel by masked men?”
Ms Little‑Pengelly did not address the specifics of the PSNI removal decision or the Moygashel Cultural Association’s position, but insisted she has been unequivocal in opposing racism and intimidation.
“I will reiterate… there is absolutely no reservation whatsoever on my part, and I will say it here again. There is no ambiguity on it. I stand against thuggery. I stand against intimidation. I stand against sectarianism and racism. I stand against terrorism!” she said.
“And I would say to the member, if all of your members in your party could do the same, we would be in a much better position.”
Outside the Assembly, the Moygashel Cultural Association (MCA) has written to PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton outlining its concerns about how police have handled the banner.
In the letter, the association says the banner arose from “widespread community concerns” about what it describes as a group “from the Islamic tradition” using a public space “frequented by children” for a “form of ritual” involving items it claims were “plainly offensive weapons” under public order legislation.
The MCA says it does not appear that any criminal investigation has begun into that incident.
“In light of this context, it appears, from the MGA’s analysis, that unknown members of the local community, seemingly with significant community support, took it upon themselves to erect a protest banner, in the context of the widespread concern about the situation described above,” the letter states.
The association notes that police initially classed the banner as a “hate incident” – which it points out is not, in itself, a crime – before later saying they were treating it as a criminal matter and removing it.
The letter asks the PSNI to specify what offence is alleged to have been committed and to explain the “time‑line and decision making” behind the shift from incident to criminal investigation, suggesting some in the area believe senior officers “applied their own subjective political value judgement” in deciding to take the banner down.
The MCA also questions what “objective standard” the PSNI uses when deciding whether to remove material others find offensive, arguing there is “no right not to be offended” and asking how the Moygashel banner differs from other controversial political or paramilitary‑related displays and protest posters seen elsewhere.
The association warns that, in the absence of a clear and consistent explanation, recent events “will only fuel concerns around two‑tier policing” and says it intends to publish the correspondence, along with any police response, “for transparency purposes”.
