The Orange Order's grand secretary has condemned the burning of effigies on bonfires, but says legislation is not the best way to tackle the issue.
Mervyn Gibson, the Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, said the burning of posters and effigies on bonfires should be treated as a hate crime.
"Whether they are or not, I don't know. But if you burn an effigy or burn a photograph of someone else, you obviously dislike them so much you hate them, so that would be for me a hate crime."People hiked up the Belfast hills for a good view of bonfires which were lit across the city on Monday night Mr Gibson added that while the burning of effigies and election posters should be treated as hate crimes the jury was out on whether burning flags should be banned in law, although he believed it was wrong.
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