Police in the North have confirmed they are treating republican bonfires in Derry as sectarian-motivated hate crimes after images of Sinn Féin leader Michelle O’Neill were burned alongside British and Israeli flags at the events.
The PSNI said the bonfires, which took place in nationalist areas of the city, are now the subject of a formal hate crime investigation. The decision marks a significant escalation in how authorities are responding to bonfire culture on the republican side of the community divide.
Photos and footage circulated online showing O’Neill’s image set alight on the bonfire, alongside flags representing Britain and Israel. The Vice President of Sinn Féin and First Minister of Northern Ireland being targeted in this way caused immediate anger among nationalists and republicans, with party colleagues condemning what they called an intimidatory and sectarian act.
The PSNI confirmed officers are reviewing the material and that the incidents are being recorded as hate crimes based on their sectarian nature. Investigations are ongoing and no arrests have been confirmed at this stage.
Bonfire culture in the North has long been a flashpoint issue on both sides of the community. Unionist and loyalist Eleventh Night bonfires have faced years of scrutiny over the burning of Irish flags, GAA jerseys, and election posters of nationalist politicians. The latest incidents suggest the practice of using bonfires to target political opponents and communities is not exclusive to one tradition.
Sinn Féin representatives in Derry hit back strongly at what happened, calling on community leaders to take responsibility and for those involved to be held accountable. The party pointed out that burning the image of a sitting First Minister is not a form of cultural expression but a deliberate act of intimidation designed to stoke tension.
The broader debate around bonfires in the North has never really gone away. Councils on both sides have struggled for years to find ways to manage events that some see as cultural tradition and others view as exercises in sectarian provocation. The involvement of elected representatives’ images, regardless of which community is involved, tends to draw the sharpest criticism.
Community relations groups have called for calm and urged political leaders across the divide to use their influence to discourage the use of bonfires as a vehicle for hatred. With tensions already running high on a number of fronts, the timing of these incidents has done little to help the political atmosphere in the North.
The PSNI has asked anyone with information about the bonfires to come forward as part of their ongoing investigation.