The 12th Offensive

From the BBC:

“Bonfire banners 'sectarian and offensive', says Foster”

First Minister Arlene Foster has criticised people who placed "sectarian and offensive messages" on top of Eleventh Night bonfires. Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said he filed a complaint to the police about a "vile banner" targeting veteran republican Bobby Storey, who died last month. Mrs Foster also said she had "regret" that some people did not abide by the NI Executive's Covid-19 regulations. She repeated her call for people to celebrate the Twelfth "at home". A number of bonfires in Belfast had banners referencing Mr Storey, which Paul Maskey described as "a series of blatant and unacceptable displays of sectarian hatred on bonfires yet again". He said "it is absolutely disgraceful" that the grief of Mr Storey's family is being "compounded by sectarian thugs". Mrs Foster told BBC NI's Sunday Politics that those involved should question "what sort of a Northern Ireland do they want to live in?" Mrs Foster said she regretted that social distancing guidelines were not obeyed at some bonfires "I know certainly the one in which I want to live in," she continued. "One where we can all proudly celebrate, but do so in a way that is not offensive and certainly not sectarian." Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill called on political unionism to "do more to challenge and confront" the issue of bonfires, tweeting they were "detrimental to the environment, but also to community relations". Fires were lit in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland on Saturday night with crowd numbers in the hundreds at some of the pyres. The executive's guidance currently has a limit of up to 30 people gathering outdoors. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Health Minister Robin Swann has urged people to adhere to social distancing measures. "We've seen a few, a minor number of occasions last night where those were broken, not in the expectations or not on the level that people were expecting," he said. "Don't set your standards by what you see in others," he added. He said Ballymena District having a drive-in service on Sunday was an example of a way to celebrate in a way that is permissible under the regulations. Between 18:00 BST on Saturday and 01:00 on Sunday, the fire and rescue service said it responded to 24 bonfire-related incidents. This was a fall of 29.5% based on the same period in 2019. The Orange Order, which does not organise bonfires, had urged people to forego the tradition as they can attract large crowds. The organisation has cancelled its traditional Twelfth of July parades due to the risks from coronavirus and urged people who want to celebrate to do so "at home". The Parades Commission said it had been notified of more than 250 parades being held by individual bands between 11 and 13 July. The annual events mark the victory of the Dutch-born Protestant King William III over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690.

Social distancing:  In a reference to Bobby Storey's funeral, which has caused division in the NI Executive due to the attendance of Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Finance Minister Conor Murphy, Arlene Foster said she understood the frustration of many people who want to celebrate the Twelfth of July. The funeral attracted a large crowd of mourners in west Belfast, although the Sinn Féin ministers maintain they did not break Stormont's regulations on social distancing. Repeating her call for people who want to celebrate the Twelfth of July to do so "at home" and avoid large gatherings, Mrs Foster added: "They say well, hold on, if that can happen there why can't I do it, but you have to remember you shouldn't just fall below the standard required of the community just because others do it. "It's important to remember why we have the socially distanced guidelines in place. "They're there to protect the community, they're there to protect our family, our elderly relatives and people need to remember that."

^ I'm not sure why anyone is surprised about all these offensive things being burnt. It is a time-honored tradition by the Northern Irish Orangemen Organizations (since 1690) to have parades through Catholic neighborhoods with their anti-Catholic slogans and banners inciting violence and hate and then ending the day with huge bonfires where they burn Catholic symbols (like pictures of the Pope) before going out to riot and attack any Catholic they can find. It's a way for the Protestants to remind the Catholics of their place in Northern Ireland and is sanctioned by the NI Government and the British Government (or they at least look the other way.) It was the same when i visited Northern Ireland in June 2010 - you could see the Protestant areas already building their bonfires even with 3 weeks to go. The Troubles may have officially ended in 1998, but the hatred and violence continues. Things have become even more intense with Brexit taking place since the Catholics want to stay in the EU (and reunite with Ireland - an EU member country) and the Protestants want to leave the EU (and stay with the UK.) July 12th (or The Twelfth as it is locally known) should be banned as a holiday in Northern Ireland and the parades stopped. Whereas Guy Fawkes Night (November 5th) was a major anti-Catholic celebration in England and the UK from 1605-1850 it has now become a social celebration for both Protestants and Catholics The Twelfth continues to only be a one-sided promotion of hate and violence by the Protestant majority over the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland. The real sad part of all of this is that the Northern Irish Government (mainly Protestants) only seem worried about Covid-19 and keeping social distancing rather than the anti-Catholic violence and hate. They are basically saying it's alright to be anti-Catholic and violent as long as you wear a mask and stay 1 meter apart. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53379657