Member's statement: First Minister: Failure to Condemn Abuse
Member's statement by Mr Jonathan Buckley on .
- MLA
- Mr Jonathan Buckley
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 6 October 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- First Minister: Failure to Condemn Abuse
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5776529
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Yesterday, in the House, we talked about the vile sectarian abuse that was being pushed on to the people of my constituency by Sinn Féin. Whilst there was, rightly, much focus on that topic, one thing that was really apparent was the lack of response from the First Minister and her party colleagues to what can only be described as the most vile and misogynistic abuse towards my constituency colleague Carla Lockhart MP. Over the past week, that lady, a democratically elected politician, has been bullied, abused and vilified by a Sinn Féin-whipped-up mob. Outside the court, we saw democratically elected Sinn Féin politicians with loudhailers, calling on the mob. The mob spat at her, abused her physical appearance and took issue with her cause, but that was not enough for it. That continued during the week, and its online rent-a-mob did the same. Michelle O'Neill, the First Minister for all, is a lady who has talked in the House many times about a strategy to end violence against women and girls. That was all just hot air from a First Minister who, when asked in the House on not one but two occasions — potentially even three occasions — to condemn those abusive personal attacks, did not do so. Mrs Mason is in the House this morning and has made her Member's statement. She also did not do that today. I say this, folks: you can have political disagreements with any Member from this party, but to subject anybody to such vile hatred and abuse is wrong. It is not just Carla Lockhart; my colleague Diane Dodds has received the same abuse. As democratically elected representatives for Upper Bann, we have been vilified for standing up for our community. It is not going to happen. Carla Lockhart is a mother, a daughter, a sister and a representative, and she deserves respect, not vile, ramped-up hatred from Sinn Féin or any other person who has been elected to the House.
330 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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