Member's statement: Sectarian Abuse: Lagan Valley
Member's statement by Mr Danny Baker on .
- MLA
- Mr Danny Baker
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 29 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Sectarian Abuse: Lagan Valley
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5644580
Read the official Assembly record
Text
On Saturday, I was in Lisburn with a number of my colleagues to take part in a leaflet drop across Lisburn and Lagan Valley to promote our Assembly candidate and councillor Declan Lynch. Declan, his wife and mother and I were all subjected to intimidation and sectarian abuse by a number of loyalists. Some followed us into the shop to ask, "Do you like the flags? Do you like being up here? We know that you come up here. You are not welcome up here". Sadly, they even asked, "Where do you live? We will find out where you live". Then, as we proceeded with the leaflet drop, Declan's mother, his wife and his toddler son were subjected to the vilest sectarian abuse. I cannot say the words in the Chamber, but they were preceded by the word "Fenian". That has all been reported to the police. The days of no-go areas are over. Every Member of the Assembly must be able to go about their job without threats, intimidation or sectarian abuse. The people responsible for that type of behaviour want to drag us back in time. They want to divide us and want hate and fear to dominate, but they will not win. Sinn Féin has the right to go anywhere to speak to people and work with them to improve their lives. It has the right to work with communities to improve areas and develop community resources and services to make this a better place for all of us, no matter our background, to live and raise our families. We will be told by no one where to go or what we can and cannot do. Those days are over. They are done. We will keep moving forward, and we will not be deterred. Our commitment and that of Declan Lynch is to work for everyone in Lagan Valley, and that is what he will do every day. I conclude with this: the silence from political leadership in that community is deafening. I see the deputy First Minister in the Chamber: I call on her to condemn the sectarian abuse that a grandmother and mother were subjected to in Lagan Valley on Saturday.
366 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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