Brian Conrad Neil, 56, was arrested and refused bail following charges of incitement to hatred after placing a replica mosque on a bonfire in Moygashel, County Tyrone. The display bore the words: “Secure our borders. End the threat of radical Islam.”
The Arabic lettering used on the replica mosque referenced fascism, according to Ezra Levant, who noted it was a deliberate attempt to distinguish radical Islam from the broader religion. Neil appeared before Dungannon Magistrates’ Court in handcuffs, where District Judge Barney McElholm declared those responsible had “an agenda full of hate and bigotry towards others.”
Levant highlighted a perceived double standard in the justice system. “Everyone gets bail, especially in Ireland,” he stated. “Accused murderers sometimes get bail — but not a lad who put a fake mosque on a bonfire.” The judge denied bail based on flight risk and ongoing danger to the community—factors Levant argued did not apply to Neil.
This contrast was underscored by last month’s incident in Northern Ireland, where a Sudanese migrant attempted to behead a man, triggering violent riots. That perpetrator was not denied bail.
Levant remarked: “Be prepared to have your religion pricked. Unless, of course, you’re Muslim.” He drew parallels to Canada, where the Lord’s Prayer was removed from Saskatchewan schools as offensive to non-believers while Muslim call-to-prayer broadcasts now operate over loudspeakers in downtown Regina.
“Lord’s prayer illegal,” Levant said. “Muhammad’s prayer is mandatory.”
Levant further noted that police have ramped up patrols around Muslim sites and warned threats related to the controversy would be investigated under Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act—despite approving the disruptive broadcasts. The citizens of Regina demand immediate revocation of the temporary permit allowing the downtown Jamia Masjid to blast amplified Islamic call-to-prayer broadcasts, which disrupt the city core with noise audible over one kilometer every Friday. Levant called for enforcing the Noise Abatement Bylaw: “Silence these loudspeakers now, and stop Islamic domination in Regina.”
