After receiving a formal request from Belfast City Council, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said today, Thursday, July 10, that it will not assist in the removal of a bonfire site on Meridi Street, off the Donegall Road, in South Belfast.
On Wednesday afternoon, Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee decided in a behind-closed-doors vote to remove the pyre over concerns around asbestos and disruption to the electrical supply, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
The decision is understood to have been supported by Sinn Féin, Alliance, SDLP, and Green Party representatives, while the DUP opposed it, the Belfast Telegraph noted.
She rises again today wonder shift from the boys 💪🇬🇧💙#loyalistvillage #southbelfast #NorthernIreland #beastinthemaking
Posted by Village bonfire south Belfast on Sunday, July 6, 2025
A Belfast Telegraph journalist took to social media on Wednesday evening to share a statement from a senior paramilitary that said the PSNI had been warned of “widespread disorder” and “riots” should there be any effort to remove the bonfire.
The bonfire is due to be lit on Friday night as part of the Eleventh Night loyalist traditions.
A senior paramilitary source has issued the following statement via myself in relation to the Bonfire in the Village area of south Belfast:
A clear threat of violence if police approach the bonfire site. @BelTel pic.twitter.com/dYEhe1gdwk
— Kevin Scott (@Kscott_94) July 9, 2025
On Wednesday night, the PSNI said it had received a formal request for assistance from Belfast City Council in relation to the removal of material from the site on Meridi Street.
They also declared it a “major incident,” and said that a Tactical Coordination Group had been established with multi-agency partners to “ensure joint understanding and to comprehensively assess all of the risks associated with this request.”
“No decision has been taken at this stage,” the PSNI said on Wednesday ahead of the multi-agency meeting, “and we continue to work with our partner agencies and community representatives on this matter.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland have received a formal request for assistance from Belfast City Council in relation to the removal of material from a bonfire site at Meridi Street.https://t.co/zIqQtpviUb pic.twitter.com/4KrVlVrbW1
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) July 9, 2025
Crowds gathered near the site off the Donegall Road on Wednesday in protest of the Council’s decision to dismantle the bonfire.
Crowds out around the bonfire off the Donegall Road in south Belfast, a few fireworks let off and a small bonfire lit but generally calm. Talk of camping out all night in case police and contractors come to remove it. Ways into the site blocked too. pic.twitter.com/Z2CRIZ1mUu
— Rebecca Black (@RBlackPA) July 9, 2025
Meanwhile, the Council’s decision is subject to a legal challenge which is due to be heard in the High Court today.
When asked for an update on Thursday, a spokesperson told IrishCentral that the PSNI “has taken the decision not to assist a request from Belfast City Council for the removal of material from a south Belfast bonfire site.”
The spokesperson said: “Following comprehensive engagement with all relevant stakeholders, an evidence based assessment, and taking into consideration all of the risks associated with the removal, we have determined that police should not assist the proposed actions of Belfast City Council.
“This decision, which involved an examination of the legality, necessity and proportionality of the police involvement in the proposed action by Belfast City Council. This involved carefully balancing potentially competing statutory and human rights obligations.”
The spokesperson said the PSNI chaired a multi-agency Tactical Coordination Group meeting on Wednesday evening, during which all “partners considered the environmental risks associated with the asbestos on the site, the risks related to the electricity sub-station as well as the risks to public safety on a site occupied by members of the public, including children.”
The spokesperson said the consensus of the meeting was that “the risk of the bonfire proceeding as planned was lower and more manageable than the intervention of contractors and the proposed methodology of dismantling the bonfire.”
The spokesperson added that the PSNI will “continue to work with partners and communities to manage the remaining risks surrounding this bonfire.”
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has taken the decision not to assist a request from Belfast City Council for the removal of material from a south Belfast bonfire site.
Full statement: https://t.co/kKG3O4JWnV pic.twitter.com/dK49zqpea3
— Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) July 10, 2025
Not long after the PSNI confirmed it would not be providing assistance at the South Belfast site, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher expressed the importance of this weekend’s bonfires and parades being “safe, respectful, and inclusive for everyone.”
He acknowledged that the celebrations are “a valued part of Northern Ireland’s local history and culture,” but added: “It is vital that in marking these events, we do so in a way that respects the backgrounds and cultures of everyone who share these neighbourhoods.”
He said: “Mutual respect is the foundation of strong, safe communities. There is no place for hate or intimidation—only space for celebration that welcomes and celebrates not divides.”
Boutcher said PSNI officers will be on the ground throughout the weekend to “support lawful, peaceful, and family-friendly events.”
He added, however: “Where necessary, we will take firm and proportionate action to keep people safe.”
Boutcher added that in the days after the weekend, the PSNI will “bring key stakeholders together to debrief and review the events of recent days.”
www.irishcentral.com (Article Sourced Website)
#PSNI #assist #removal #contentious #South #Belfast #bonfire