Sinn Féin has denounced the burning of images of First Minister Michelle O'Neill on a bonfire in Londonderry on the night of 15 August 2026, alongside British and other flags. North Belfast MP John Finucane described the bonfires as sectarian and anti-democratic, calling them incompatible with Irish republican values.
The main bonfire, located near the Lecky Road flyover, was set alight just before 23:00 BST after almost 500 pallets had earlier been cleared from the site during the week. Photographs of O'Neill were attached to the pyre along with union jacks, Israeli flags, Parachute Regiment banners, Somme Remembrance flags and Northern Ireland flags. According to a report from the Irish News, the poster bearing O'Neill's image also carried the words "Sinn Féin sellouts."
Two additional bonfires were lit in the Creggan and Top of the Hill areas of the city, both also decorated with flags and effigies before being set alight. Fireworks were set off at 22:45 BST ahead of the main blaze at Lecky Road, drawing a large crowd of onlookers, while police monitored the scene from the city walls overlooking the Bogside. A smaller group also watched from that vantage point.
Why did Sinn Féin condemn the bonfires?
Finucane said the bonfires mimicked the worst elements of loyalist bonfire culture in their sectarian tone, criminality and disregard for safety.
"These bonfires disgracefully imitate the most offensive aspects of loyalist bonfires in their sectarianism, their criminality and recklessness."
He argued that the young people involved did not reflect the broader community, many of whom take part in more constructive cultural events throughout the year.
"The small number of young people and children involved, often manipulated by others who stand in the shadows, are not representative of the majority of young people who are engaged in positive and productive cultural activities all year round."
He pointed to cultural festivals as a more positive representation of Irish identity.
"At the Fleadh and Féile in Belfast and in the Derry Féile we see the future of this island in the positive and inclusive celebration of Irish culture and identity."
"The isolated events in Derry last night are the opposite and can have no part in that future."
What led to tensions before the bonfires were lit?
In the days before 15 August, the Department for Infrastructure, supported by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, removed nearly 500 pallets that had been stored beneath the Lecky Road flyover. A department spokesperson said the storage of the pallets had created a serious fire hazard given the presence of gas mains beneath the road surface.
The removal operation triggered unrest in the area. According to Highland Radio, the clearance of the material on 12 August 2026 was followed by anti-social incidents in the Bogside, including pallets and a mattress being set on fire along with a burning motorbike. The Lecky Road was closed at that time after items were set alight on the road itself, and police reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at officers on Bishop Street.
Separately, the Irish News reported that on 14 August 2026, police confirmed the Lecky Road flyover had to be closed to traffic after youths dragged bonfire pallets onto the road, forcing diversions in the area.
What did the First Minister say about the pallet removal?
Speaking during a visit to the Derry Féile, O'Neill welcomed the clearance of the pallets from beneath the flyover.
"I commend those who have removed the pallets and everything else, all the material, because none of us wants to see these anti-social bonfires in our community."
According to a national broadcaster's report, O'Neill separately described the removal as "right and proper," reinforcing her public stance against the bonfires despite later becoming a target of imagery burned on one of them.
Has this site caused problems before?
The Lecky Road bonfire location, on the edge of the Bogside, has been a recurring source of tension around the annual 15 August bonfires, according to a national broadcaster's report, which noted this year's police-supervised pallet removal followed a similar pattern from previous years. Separately, an earlier report from the same broadcaster said redevelopment work had begun at the nearby Meenan Square site in the Bogside, with officials indicating the bonfire would no longer be held there once the project was complete.
Ahead of the weekend, political and religious leaders across the community had urged residents to remain calm. Despite these appeals, sectarian taunts were exchanged between rival groups near the city walls on the night of 15 August, and a small number of missiles were thrown from both sides. Police subsequently moved roughly 30 people away from part of the walls to prevent further escalation.
What happens next?
Police have opened an investigation into the disorder in the Bogside and are appealing to the public for any information or footage relating to the incidents, according to Highland Radio. Separately, redevelopment of the contested Meenan Square bonfire site in the Bogside was due to begin in spring 2026, a project expected to permanently alter how future bonfires are held in the area, according to a national broadcaster's report.
Key Facts
- Bonfire lit near the Lecky Road flyover in Derry just before 23:00 BST on 15 August 2026.
- Images of First Minister Michelle O'Neill, British, Israeli and other flags were attached to the pyre.
- Almost 500 pallets were removed from beneath the flyover earlier in the week by the Department for Infrastructure with police support.
- Unrest following the pallet removal included fires, a burning motorbike and a petrol bomb thrown at police, according to Highland Radio.
- Police are investigating the Bogside disorder and are appealing for information.
