A bonfire topped with an effigy of migrants in a boat has been set alight in Northern Ireland as police launch a hate crime investigation into the event.

The model, featuring more than a dozen dummies wearing orange life jackets, was lit in Moygashel on the outskirts of Dungannon in County Tyrone at around 11pm yesterday ahead of the annual loyalist July 12 parades.

It also featured signs reading "stop the boats", "veterans before refugees" and "stop illegal immigration".

An Irish tricolour flag was placed on top, which is among about 300 which will be burned across Thursday and Friday night in the region as part of the Orange Order celebrations.

The bonfire was set alight in Northern Island on Thursday evening as part of loyalist celebrations

Thousands of people attend parades on the Twelfth every year to mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 when the Protestant King William of Orange defeated the Catholic King James.

Police in Northern Ireland said they had received a number of reports about the bonfire prior to it being lit.

“Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe," the force said.

"We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists."

The display was criticised by political representatives and Church leaders.

Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, John McDowell, described it as “racist, threatening and offensive”.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland director, meanwhile said the bonfire as a “vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism”.

Malachy Quinn, an SDLP councillor, described the display as "threatening".

"Absolutely disgusted by the racist, threatening display on the Moygashel bonfire, Quinn said.

"This isn’t culture. It’s hate, plain and simple. Dungannon is a proud, multicultural town. No one should feel unsafe in their own home. Silence is not an option."

Alliance Councillor Eddie Roofe called for the effigy to be removed "immediately".

Councillor Roofe stated: "It is nothing but a blatant act of racism and hatred, and cannot be excused as a celebration of culture.

"Those responsible only seek to incite fear and spread far-right beliefs and do not represent the community as a whole.

“Every year, we see incidents of hate and intimidation associated with bonfires, and this behaviour is entirely unacceptable."

Prominent loyalist activist, Jamie Bryson, meanwhile defended the display on X.

"Every year Moygashel bonfire combines artistic protest with their cultural celebration, he wrote.

"Their yearly art has itself become a tradition. This year the focus is on the scandal of mass illegal immigration."

It is however not the first time the Moygashel bonfire has featured a contentious display.

Last year, a mock police car was burnt on the top of the bonfire and in 2023 a boat designed to represent the post-Brexit Irish Sea economic border was torched.

The bonfire featured signs including 'stop illegal immigration'

Police are investigating the bonfire as a hate crime