Northern Ireland Secretary of State and Labour Party MP Hilary Benn on Friday condemned the burning of effigies and sectarian symbols in Eleventh Night bonfires, according to statements he made to BBC News.
Benn, who made the comments while attending a Twelfth of July parade, showed support for Northern Ireland citizens’ rights to take part in the tradition of Eleventh Night celebrations. He explicitly condemned, however, “disrespectful” messages and the burning of images of UK Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leaders.
Eleventh Night and the accompanied bonfires are the kickoff to the Twelfth of July festivities in Northern Ireland, which celebrate the victory of the Protestant King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II and the beginning of the Protestant domination of Ireland. The fires themselves are also used to guide William of Orange along the Belfast Lough at night.
The bonfires often number in the hundreds on the eve of the Twelfth and predominately occur in unionist areas of Northern Ireland. The fires are largely legal in Northern Ireland and have become a cultural tradition for many people, especially among unionist or loyalist citizens in the region.
Images of Labour Party MPs Colum Eastwood and Clair Hanna were recently placed into bonfires as well as an image of First Minister Michelle O’Neill along with “sectarian threats.” The burning of effigies, images of politicians and the Irish Republic tricolor is not uncommon during Eleventh Night celebrations, and criticism has centered around accompanying spikes in crime and the political overtones that create tension with Irish nationalists. The fires have also received condemnation from First Minister O’Neill in the past and criticism from environmentalists for being a source of air pollution.
Benn attended the Twelfth of July parade as part of a broader tour of Northern Ireland after he was appointed secretary of state following the Labour Party’s victory in the UK national elections. He is the son of the late Tony Benn, a UK Labour Party leader who supported the unification of Ireland.
