Debate contribution: Racially Motivated Riots

Debate contribution by Ms Claire Sugden on 15 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

15 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Matter of the Day

Heading

Racially Motivated Riots

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5613140

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The events that we witnessed across Northern Ireland over the past week were shameful. A man was seriously injured in a horrific attack. The person accused of carrying out that attack has now been arrested and charged. Our focus should remain on the victim, his family and the criminal proceedings that will now follow. Instead, however, we have seen homes attacked, businesses damaged, families intimidated, police officers assaulted and entire communities left fearful. None of those people was responsible for what happened last Monday evening. Throughout all of that, the victim's family have shown dignity. Despite the unimaginable circumstances in which they find themselves, they have called for calm and for peaceful protest. They have acknowledged the deeply valuable contribution that migrants make to our society, and they have made it clear that the attack should not be used to divide people or fuel hostility. We should be led by their example. Despite their pain, their anger and their concern for their loved one, they have shown more leadership than most. They understand that attacking innocent people will not help the victim; they understand that targeting entire communities will not deliver justice; and they understand that exploiting a tragedy for other purposes helps nobody. I have heard from constituents who have concerns about immigration, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. People are entitled to hold views on migration policy. They are entitled to question how immigration is managed and to debate pressures on housing, public services and integration. Those conversations are entirely legitimate. However, what is not legitimate is using concerns as an excuse for violence, intimidation or hatred. Many of the people who have been targeted in recent days are our neighbours, our colleagues and our friends. They work in our hospitals, our care homes, our schools, our hospitality sector and businesses across Northern Ireland. The reality is that many of our public services and businesses would struggle enormously without them. Their value, however, is not simply in the work that they do. Their value is in the fact that they are people — individuals — who have chosen to build their lives here, raise their families and contribute to our communities. What troubles me most is that much of what we are seeing appears to be driven by fear, misinformation and deliberate provocation. Northern Ireland has experienced significant demographic change in recent years. That is the reality. Immigration policy is a matter for the UK Government, and people are entitled to expect leadership on these issues. However, whatever concerns people may have, there is no justification for what we have witnessed on our streets. For too long, politics has been shaped by fear caused by one group or another. Twenty or thirty years ago, that was through a sectarian lens. Today, in some quarters, it is through a racial lens, and we should all know better.

480 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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