The PSNI has insisted it acted to protect “public safety” after bonfire materials were removed in a dawn operation just days before an August 15 bonfire in the Bogside area of Derry.
There was a visible police presence in the area on Wednesday afternoon, as a community group appealed for “level heads and calm” and urged young people in the Bogside not to “give anyone the reaction they may be looking for”.
A small amount of materials, including pallets, that had been collected beneath the Lecky Road flyover were loaded onto the back of a lorry and driven away in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Debris including wheelie bins were later set on fire on the Lecky Road, prompting a warning from police for motorists to avoid the area at around 7am on Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon a number of pallets had again appeared in Lecky Road area. Also on Wednesday afternoon, First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the removal of the pallets adding that “none of us want to see these anti-social bonfires”.
The operation drew stinging criticism from a community organisation that said it has been making “genuine efforts to reduce tensions, engage with young people and keep the peace” ahead of the August 15 event, which has attracted serious controversy in recent years.
Still image from a social media video showing workers loading bonfire materials into a lorry, overlooked by PSNI officers nearby
“In just a few hours, months of community engagement and progress have been put at risk”, the Bogside Community Support organisation said in a statement.
The group, which has posted materials from the IRSP on its social media accounts and was recently involved in work to return poppy wreaths stolen from a war memorial in the city, accused police of a “double standard” and said the actions to remove the bonfire materials was “nothing short of a disgrace”.
“After months of hard work engaging with local young people, reaching an agreement to have the bonfire in a safe space below the walls, returning stolen items and working to keep antisocial behaviour around the flyover to a minimum, we are deeply disappointed by the actions taken by the PSNI this morning,” the Bogside Community Trust said in its statement.
The location of the Bogside bonfire had been marked with uncertainty this year, having been held on the site of a proposed multi-million pound development over recent years.
The bonfire is traditionally lit on August 15 to mark the Catholic Feast of the Assumption, and to mark the anniversary of the introduction of internment with the launch of ‘Operation Demetrius’ on August 9, 1971.
A bonfire has been lit at Meenan Square in the Bogside over recent years as plans to build a multi-million pound mixed-use development including a community hub, shops and other amenities were hit by years-long delays.
Several buildings, including the Bogside Inn, were cleared in 2021 to make way for the project but the delays meant the space was devoid of development until work got underway earlier this year.
The Bogside bonfire has attracted controversy in recent years following the display of the names of PSNI officers in 2021, a report of shots being fired the following year, and the display of flags and emblems over the years.
And with Meenan Square now occupied with ongoing construction works, the location of any Bogside bonfire this year was uncertain.
PSNI officers watching the Bogside bonfire site area from the city walls on Wednesday. PICTURE: MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN 12-8-2026 (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN COPYRIGHT / )
Bogside Community Support said last month that it had reached an agreement with young people to have bonfire wood stored beneath the Lecky Road flyover removed, and in its statement on Wednesday following the PSNI operation said “a safe space beneath the walls” had been identified.
The PSNI, meanwhile, said: “Officers in Derry/Londonderry were in attendance in the Lecky Road area on Wednesday morning, 12th August assisting to help prevent a breach of the peace following a call for support from the Department for Infrastructure in relation to the removal of pallets from the area.
“Public safety is our priority, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland continues to work with our partner agencies, community representatives and landowners to address community safety issues relating to bonfires.”