A 56-year-old man has been remanded in custody after a judge refused bail at Dungannon Magistrates Court, citing a clear agenda of hate and bigotry behind the Moygashel bonfire where a replica mosque was placed.

Brian Conrad Neill, of Hollow Mills, New Mills, Dungannon, appeared before District Judge Barney McElholm on Friday charged with incitement to hatred. The charge relates to displaying written material intended to stir up hatred or arouse fear.

The court heard that on the night of July 8, police observed Neill on top of the bonfire in Moygashel, County Tyrone, assisting two masked men to attach signs reading "Secure our borders" and "End the threat of radical Islam". A structure covered by blue tarpaulin was later revealed to be a model mosque with Arabic lettering translated as "Islamic Fascism". Neill was the only person on the bonfire not wearing a face covering.

He was arrested shortly after midnight when police stopped a car on the Ranfurley Road in Dungannon. During interview, he said he had been asked by two unknown masked men to help because of his training as a tree surgeon. He claimed he climbed down before the tarpaulin was removed and did not read the signs. His solicitor told the court he had been used by sinister elements and had no involvement with the Moygashel Bonfire Association.

Police objected to bail, noting Neill has 123 previous convictions, including for riotous behaviour, and is considered influential among a group likely to cause public disorder. The officer said there was strong public feeling and police had dealt with a potential public order situation when the bonfire was lit early on Thursday.

Judge McElholm said the Moygashel bonfire had become notorious, pointing to previous displays including a police car and a boat with immigrant effigies. He said any reasonable person asked to help would recoil in horror and that the organisers did not need tree surgeons. He remanded Neill in custody to appear again on August 5.

The bonfire was lit on Thursday evening, a day ahead of schedule, as the Police Service of Northern Ireland launched a major operation to remove the hate display. Chief Superintendent Norman Haslett said the bonfire was set alight before police could secure the site and seize the material. The PSNI confirmed that a hate crime investigation is ongoing.

The replica mosque and banners drew widespread condemnation. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows called for removal of the display, saying placing any place of worship on a bonfire was wrong. Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew described it as deplorable and a clear hate crime. Alliance councillor Eddie Roofe said it was utterly abhorrent. Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin and Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell said targeting the Muslim community through crude symbols undermined respect and compassion. Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn called it a sickening and cowardly act of intimidation.

The Moygashel Bonfire Association defended the display as a political protest against ideology and government policy, saying it was protected by freedom of expression and did not target individuals.

The bonfire site has attracted controversy in previous years. Last year effigies of migrants in a boat were burned. Hundreds of bonfires are lit across Northern Ireland ahead of the Twelfth of July parades. While most pass without incident, some attract criticism over the use of flags, effigies and other contentious material.