Derry bonfire builders hit out at recent Sinn Féin statements

Organisers of a bonfire in Derry have hit out at recent statements by Sinn Fein over the issue.

Bonfires in the Bogside and Creggan areas will be lit on August 15 to mark the anniversary of the introduction of internment.

Both bonfires have proved controversial in the past with poppy wreaths and flags appearing on them before being set on fire.

The bonfire at Meenan Square in the Bogside has held up progress on an £11m development that will include social housing, community services, retail, commercial and office space. 

Apex Housing, who manages the site, said the delay in the works on the development because it could not find a contractor willing to remove the bonfire materials.

Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said it had isolated an underground cable because of the potential risk of damage from the fire following a site visit.

One man was also seriously hurt after falling from the bonfire.

In recent weeks, Sinn Féin Foyle MLAs Pádraig Delargy and Ciara Ferguson have called on statutory agencies to either remove the bonfires or mitigate the health and safety risks associated with them.

Both MLAs have described the bonfires as 'anti-community'.

However in a scathing response, organisers of the Bogside bonfire lashed out at the party over its handling of the situation.

In a lengthy statement on its Facebook page, organsiers said the bonfire was a message of 'defiance' of a 'community that has been ignored, insulted, and let down by those in power'.

Organisers accused Sinn Fein of straying from 'the people who once backed them' and turning its 'back on the grassroots'.

The statement in full, reads: "The Bogside bonfire is not a threat — it’s a message. It tells a truth that politicians don’t want to hear: that this community is fed up with being policed, lectured, and looked down on by those who claim to represent us. The fire is not about division, it’s about defiance. It’s about the right of working-class people, especially young people, to take space, to be seen, and to be heard.

"Last month, Sinn Féin MLAs Ciara Ferguson and Pádraig Delargy called our bonfire “anti-community,” “shameful,” and “regressive.” But the only thing that’s truly shameful is how far Sinn Féin has strayed from the people who once backed them. They’ve gone from standing beside us to standing over us. From giving voice to the working class to delivering the demands of Stormont and the British state. They now act as enforcers — not advocates.

"Let’s be honest: this is not about a bonfire. This is about control. It’s about silencing a generation that Sinn Féin no longer understands and clearly no longer values. This is the same party that supported youth funding cuts in Derry, watched while addiction and mental health issues tore through our streets and backed PSNI “community operations” that felt more like raids than outreach. Sinn Féin has turned its back on the grassroots. They once fought against state repression, now they help carry it out.

"And as for Pádraig Delargy, he loves to remind people he’s “from the Bogside.” But no one here sees him. He’s moved out to a big house in Culmore and moved on from the people he’s meant to represent. He doesn’t walk these streets, he doesn’t speak with young people, and he doesn’t show up when real issues hit this community. He’s quick to appear on camera and call the youth “shameful” — but never shows up when they need support, leadership, or solidarity. He’s out of touch, out of reach, and out of his depth.

"Let’s be clear: this bonfire is not a dissident bonfire. The real dissidents are those who abandoned their community for careerism. This bonfire belongs to the people, not the state, not the council, and definitely not Sinn Féin. It’s one of the few things left that the system can’t control or rebrand. It’s a space where young people feel ownership, pride, and identity — something denied to them elsewhere.

"If the PSNI/ RUC are sent into this community to tear down this bonfire, it will be seen for what it is: not a safety concern, but a political provocation. It will be viewed as an attack on this community by the very forces that brutalised it for generations, now backed by the very party that once claimed to defend us. Sinn Féin may have forgotten what the RUC did in these streets, but we haven’t.

"This fire stands for Free Derry. It stands for working-class youth. It stands for a community that has been ignored, insulted, and let down by those in power. We’re not interested in being respectable. We’re interested in being real. You cannot shame a community into silence and you won’t extinguish our defiance with press releases or PSNI threats.

"So let’s finish with the truth, loud and clear: We are not anti-community. We are the community.

"P.S. Don’t worry though, while you’re polishing your Stormont seats and tweeting for likes, your own voters will be down at the bonfire with us: standing, singing, drinking, and laughing as your bosses’ flags go up in flames.