Watch: Boris Johnson effigy going up in flames for UK bonfire night

Boris Johnson effigy going up in flames
Boris Johnson effigy going up in flames Copyright Reuters
By Claire Heffron with Reuters
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

A giant effigy of Britain's former foreign secretary and leading Brexiteer, Boris Johnson has been burned during bonfire night celebrations on Saturday in Kent, England.

ADVERTISEMENT

A giant effigy of Boris Johnson has been set alight during bonfire night celebrations on Saturday in Kent, England.

The town of Edenbridge traditionally burns an effigy of a notorious figure on Guy Fawkes night.

The Bonfire Society in Kent described the former foreign secretary as the top choice for their celebrity effigy this year.

The 11-metre replica of the MP was depicted holding a cake decorated in the style of the European Union flag, from which he has taken a Union Jack-branded slice.

By his feet are red Brexit buses which he claimed Britain sent £350 million (€390 million) a week to the EU which could be used to fund the NHS.

Reuters
Boris Johnson was the choice for the Bonfire Society's celebrity effigyReuters

Guy Fawkes Night is annually held on November 5. It is sometimes known as Bonfire Night and marks the anniversary of the discovery of a plot organised by Catholic conspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605.

Bonfire societies in the UK are known for burning effigies of high-profile, political figures during their celebrations which include torch-lit processions and fireworks displays.

Several have started to burn celebrity effigies in recent years: past Edenbridge victims have included Donald Trump and former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Donald Trump's effigy was burned just days before the US election in 2016
Share this articleComments

You might also like

'Slaughtered': UK farmers protest post-Brexit rules and trade deals

Unionists agree to restore government in Northern Ireland

Britain's post-Brexit trade talks with Canada break down over beef and cheese