Dramatic protests in Northern Ireland: Unionists want to burn migrant dolls!

Dramatic protests in Northern Ireland: Unionists want to burn migrant dolls!

In Northern Ireland, a disturbing situation about dealing with migrants is currently visible, which has led to an increase in racist incidents in the past few weeks. Pro-British Unionists have set up hateful dolls in the village of Moygashel who have black skin color and sit on a large wooden tower in a boat. These dolls are to be burned on July 12, the Protestant day of the victory. Colm Gildernew, a MP in the Northern Irish regional assembly, called for the immediate removal of these dolls and described it as hateful. The wooden tower is provided with posters that call the words "Stop the boats" and "stop illegal immigration" to aversion to migrants. Activist Jamie Bryson defends the campaign as a "artistic protest", but is confronted with the strong criticism that accompanies this incident.

The topic is not new: Last year similar provocative representations were publicly criticized on the occasion of the victory day in Northern Ireland. In 2024, a dummy of a police car was burned with dolls that represented Sinnfein politicians. The Northern Irish police are now working on the investigation of these new allegations in Moygashel, while on the political level, in view of anti -migration protests, solutions have to be searched for. These protests, which were fueled by migrants through rumors about a suspected rape of a minor, lead to massive riots that took place in different cities of Northern Ireland.

racism in Northern Ireland

The hostility to migrants has increased significantly in recent years. In the period 2021/22, the Northern Irish police recorded 1,334 racist incidents, which represents an increase of 341 compared to the previous year. This number has been the second highest since the Statistikamt began. A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) also shows that many Northern Irish make migrants responsible for their fears about the future.

The migrants surveyed stated that they had experienced racist hate crimes. Over 40 percent of the parents also reported that their children are exposed to racist bullying in schools. In particularly affected loyalistic workers' quarters, violent attacks often occur in which migrants are sold out of their houses. The police find that only six percent of the cases displayed lead to an actual advertisement, which illustrates the questionability of the situation.

violence and unrest

The youngest unrest in cities such as Ballymena, Newtownabbey and Larne are also related to increasing willingness to use violence. After the arrest of two 14-year-old boys who were suspected, this began to sexually abuse a teenager. The situation escalates when a Romanian interpreter was consulted at the court hearings. Rioters have already laid fire, while migrants no longer leave their apartments out of fear.

The reports from different cities clarify that racist motivated crimes have now overtaken sectarian hate crime. Amnesty International describes Northern Ireland as a "safe port for racists" and warns of the widespread violence, some of which is fueled by paramilitary groups. In this tense situation, the equal opportunities officer calls for political measures to act against racism and hate violence, while activists fight for public attention for their concerns.

The investigation and protests show that the conflict in Northern Ireland not only has historical roots, but is also rooted in the current social reality. It remains to be seen whether and how the political decision -makers will react to the worrying situation, while trust in institutions and society will continue to disappear.

For detailed reporting on the events in Northern Ireland, you can use the complete articles on nd -aktuell and ZDF today read.