Northern Ireland

Most unionists oppose burning Irish flag and Taoiseach poster, says DUP leader

Police are investigating the incident at the bonfire in Co Tyrone at the weekend as a ‘hate crime’

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP leader: “If people want to earn respect and have respect for their own identity and culture then they have got to show respect for others.” Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

The leader of the DUP has become the latest politician to speak out against the the burning of an Irish flag and a poster of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on a loyalist bonfire.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson described the incident, which is currently being investigated by police as a “hate crime”, as “disrespectful”, adding that the overwhelming majority of unionists would share that view.

The towering pyre in Moygashel, Co Tyrone, themed as an anti-Northern Ireland Protocol ...