Call for end to July 'bonfire bigotry'

Published Thursday, 19 July 2012

Representatives of the Polish community in Northern Ireland have hit out at those responsible for burning flags on Eleventh Night bonfires.

Bonfires were lit across Northern Ireland on the Eleventh Night. (© Getty)

Polish flags and an election poster for a Polish candidate - the SDLP's Magdalena Wolska - were spotted on bonfires across Belfast last week.

The founder of the Polish Association in Northern Ireland, Maciek Bator, has spoken out on the issue after receiving a number of complaints and requests for action to be taken.

In an open letter, the group branded the flag-burning "acts of racist intimidations aimed at the Polish community" and said the behaviour was "totally appalling and offensive".

As a community, we are against a society where, to affirm one identity, others are denied respect and dignity.
Polish Association Northern Ireland

Concerns have been expressed that such acts could encourage hatred and add to the number of attacks on the Polish community which are already being reported to the PSNI.

"We call on all political and community leaders in Northern Ireland to take urgent action to stop hatred and bigotry," the Polish Association said.

"By not taking any actions and remaining silent, the leaders are effectively endorsing this sort of despicable behaviour."

The open letter added: "The Polish flag is a symbol of freedom, independence, and peace for the 30,000 Polish people living in Northern Ireland and around 80 million across the globe.

"During World War II, Polish soldiers fought in alliances against Nazi forces and provided assistance in the Battle of Britain to help defend the United Kingdom from German invasion.

"A number of Polish aircraft men died in Northern Ireland and are buried in Northern Irish ground."

The SDLP's International Secretary Claire Hanna - a party colleague of Ms Wolska, whose election poster was burned - said the actions showed "a disturbing seam of racism bubbling to the surface".

She added: "What we saw last week is yet another worrying symptom of the fact that we still have people in the North who cannot accept difference.

"All hate crimes, whether it be those seen at the bonfires or the burning of Orange Halls or GAA premises, should be referred to the police so that justice can take its course."

Division did not work in anyone's interests 40 years ago and it will not do so now.
Claire Hanna, SDLP

Alliance MLA Anna Lo described those responsible for the flag-burning as "nothing more than bigots".

She added: "I would urge community leaders to encourage the people involved in the building of these bonfires to ensure that nothing like a flag or an effigy is placed on them.

"Also, the Orange Order has a role to play in ensuring that incidents such as this are not repeated next year.

"This is clearly racist behaviour which is doing the image of Northern Ireland a lot of damage."

Concerns have been also been raised, as in previous years, about the burning of Irish flags and emblems - including effigies or references to people who died during the Troubles.

Comments

76 Comments

Thomas in Portadown wrote (305 days ago):

For goodness sake moderators, what is so hard about displaying my opinion? You are denying me my basic human right. Article 9 which promotes the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and yet censor my opinion which is not sectarian or bigoted in any sense. Funny how certain individual comments appear all the time on this site. Equality within the media, you are having a laugh!

Ulysses32 in Belfast wrote (305 days ago):

Again with the "themuns" WTF. Don't let the facts of a story get in the way of a whataboutery rant....You must be holding your condemnation in for something really special.

Patrick in Belfast wrote (306 days ago):

The people burning the Polish flag and the Irish flag on the 11th night bonfires are idiots. I grew up in a nationalist area in west Belfast and we stopped having bonfires in about 1990 seriously think about it thats more than 20 years ago. In its current form the 12th of july will never be an inclusive celebration. Its intimidating and celebrates hatred and sectarianism. Can a sane Unionist person please tell me what are your children learning from this display every year from birth until adulthood seriously what are you teaching them. Unionists have mentioned nationalist bonfires which are very few and no where near the same scale. The nationalist community wised up a long time ago and any intelligent unionist knows it. The working class unionist communities are being socially and psychologically damaged through this repetitive behaviour year in year out. Think about it the burning of the Polish flag has only handed an other 30,000 votes to nationalist parties when the polish are able to vote. Keep it up guys good work. An other thing one unionist on this forum said the catholic minority he doesn't even realise that the nationalists are no longer a minority in NI and will likely be a majority within a short time. Its time the unionist woke up or will be left behind. The bonfires are located in areas to deliberately intimidate why? There is no excuse there is no need to burn Irish flags how is this part of any culture. Its makes me furious and is insulting every year. Can any sane unionist please tell me what is the point of all the political progress and community relation building throughout the year when on the 11th we nationalists are then insulted and it feels like a slap in the face. Please any unionist tell me what do you want and what are your trying to achieve by this behaviour and one more thing if Scotland want out of the UK what will be the point of any part of Ireland staying in it.

Dee in Glengormley wrote (306 days ago):

WTF in Ards just a couple of things to clarify. Bonfires in nationalist areas were done away with 15-20 years ago. So if you seen a union jack or red had burning atop a bonfire in recent times you've a very fertile imagination. And secondly this is a thread about the sectarianism that invariably accompanies July 12th so why dilute it with whataboutery, ie, What about the IRA. the IRA did some despicable things and Bloody Friday was definitely one of them but I don't see what this has to do with the topic at hand. Classic response I see often when unionists are confronted with the bigotry in their own community they deflect it with 'Wadda bout the IRA?' Another classic unionist response is to dehumanise their opponents, a trait I see is not lost on you when you question whether or not Republicans can be called 'people'. I can assure they are! And lastly let me enlighten why the Poles have become a target - because they are catholic, or at least perceived to be the the knuckle draggers that attack them. Go ask the Poles or other ethnic minorities who've been driven out en masse from loyalist areas such as Sandy Row, Donegall Road merely because of their ethnicity.

Nick Kent in The Big House wrote (306 days ago):

"if anyone has a problem with it that's just too bad" Phil's comment just about sums up the attitude of loyalism. "Not even the mostfervent republican cannot defend the IRA campaign, a despicable shameful modern day genocide against innocent people which should be compared to the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia or Rwanda. Hang your heads people.." Who's defending Bloody Friday? it was a horrific, inhuman atrocity that couldn't possibly be defended. Bosnia or Rwanda? Hyperbolic much WTF?

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