PSNI have responded to claims of “unprecedented” police presence in Moygashel after a Bonfire Association expressed fears they were creating a “powder keg” situation.
Member of Moygashel Bonfire Association took to social media to air their concerns after noticing what they claim is a “second consecutive day of sustained, heavy police presence and intimidation” in the area.
They say police are maintaining a “non-stop, highly-disruptive patrol through the area’s quiet residential estates”.
The association also claim that officers have refused to engage with local representatives in the town and that a focus seems to be directed towards the area where the bonfire has been built.
They add: “With community members warning that the people of Moygashel will not forget these actions, there are widespread fears that this heavy-handed presence will persist right up until bonfire night.
“By failing to communicate with local political representatives and maintaining a constant, visible guard, the PSNI has created a volatile powder keg situation in a normally quiet community.”
Last year, the bonfire in Moygashel became the focus of widespread controversy after an effigy of refugees in a boat was seen placed at the top of the structure to be burnt on the Eleventh night.
The incident – complete with a ‘Stop the Boats’ sign – was investigated as a “hate crime” by PSNI and several local representatives lambasted it as “vile, racist and deplorable”.
This year, the area has once again been a controversial talking point for a banner that was repeatedly erected and removed outside a children’s playpark.
The Moygashel Cultural Association (MCA) wrote 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.
That same banner has been replicated by Loyalist Corcrain Redmanville Bonfire, who have placed it on the side of their mammoth, two-tower structure in Portadown.
Responding to the claims in Moygashel, a PSNI spokesperson said: “As we approach the Twelfth period and its associated events and public gatherings, local police are conducting high visibility patrolling in Moygashel, across Mid Ulster, and in other Districts, in order to ensure public safety for all of our communities.”
In contrast to the association’s claims that officers have been unwilling to engage, the spokesperson said: “Local police met this week with a political representative regarding Moygashel. We are always open to engaging directly with local communities and their representatives.”
As of yet, the bonfire in Moygashel has not been ‘topped’ or faced with effigies, flags or banners of any kind.
