Member's statement: Scarva Protest

Member's statement by Mr Jonathan Buckley on 8 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Jonathan Buckley

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

8 June 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Scarva Protest

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5600220

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Over the past two days, we have seen political spin and opportunism go into overdrive. We have had elected representatives in the Chamber and beyond talk about Scarva who could not even spell the word. They talked about policing operations while they sat on their sofas, scrolling through social media. Meanwhile, there were targeted attacks on democratically elected politicians from the Democratic Unionist Party and other unionist parties who were on the streets in Scarva ensuring that a rightful, lawful act of protest that had been registered with the Parades Commission was able to go ahead. That was not good enough for some of the parties in this place. They have despicably targeted elected representatives and, in some cases, vilified and demeaned lady representatives who were on the front line, ensuring that there was peace and calm in Scarva. Alongside colleagues, I have, for the past year, been engaging with the Parades Commission and the police on the tensions arising from the parade: a parade that deliberately and provocatively went through areas in which it was not wanted. Last year, it was banners of Hamas; this year, it was, "From the river to the sea". Those are the political connotations that go with that travelling circus wherever it goes. We have seen, in the United Kingdom, the consequences that those hate marches continue to push. It cannot be allowed to continue. I witnessed first-hand the events in Scarva. I saw elected representatives' attempts to ensure that there was restraint. I saw a policing operation with police dogs, three water cannons and riot cops try to move in on democratic protesters who had the legitimate right to be there. If we had not intervened, there would have been a riot. We must get some balance. The people of Scarva are law-abiding people, and, while political attacks may come, I will not stand for the decent, good people of Scarva and the surrounding areas being pulled through the muck and called "thugs" by political opponents. They are decent people; they are law-abiding people; and they deserve respect. The SDLP is supposedly the party of civil rights; it is now no more than a bystander on social media. Sinn Féin is so drunk and high on power that it has forgotten the very people whom it represents. Alliance is sneering, condescending and high-browed; I would argue that it never had a community in the first place. As for the Democratic Unionist Party, we will unashamedly stand up and intervene for the people whom we represent, and no amount of sneering or degrading will stop us ensuring that their rights are represented.

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

Assessment

Flagged Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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