A district judge in Northern Ireland says those behind a Moygashel loyalist bonfire have an “agenda full of hate and bigotry” while refusing bail to a defendant charged with incitement to hatred. The judge, Barney McElholm, made the comments during a court appearance connected to the bonfire in Co Tyrone, according to multiple reports.
The charges relate to alleged involvement in a bonfire that includes a mosque replica covered by tarpaulin. One defendant, Brian Conrad Neill, appears in court facing an incitement-to-hatred allegation linked to the event. Reporting includes claims from Neill’s lawyers that he did not know a mosque replica was under the tarpaulin when masked men asked him to help fix or work on part of the bonfire structure.
While the reports focus on the judge’s remarks about the motivations of those behind the bonfire, they also note that bail is refused pending the legal process. The sources do not indicate the broader case outcome, concentrating instead on the court comments and the defendant’s current status.
