Overview

• Pro-British unionists erected life jacket-clad, black-skinned migrant effigies bearing “Stop the Boats” and “Stop Illegal Immigration” banners on a wooden tower west of Belfast.
• Police are investigating whether the planned burning of the dolls on July 12 violates hate-crime laws.
• Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew denounced the display as racist and urged authorities to remove the effigies immediately.
• Protestant activist Jamie Bryson defended the installation as an artistic element of the annual cultural celebration.
• Despite fierce political backlash, the traditional Protestant bonfire remains scheduled for the July 12 commemoration.