Debate contribution: Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on .
- MLA
- Ms Michelle O'Neill
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 12 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Exclusion of the First Minister from Office under Section 30 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5786610
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Chris Bryant's ban on an unwanted march going down the Garvaghy Road was the right and only decision, because the Garvaghy Road community has the right to live free from sectarian intimidation and harassment. That, folks, is the bottom line. Unfortunately, a section of political unionism is determined to attempt to drag us back. It is opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, to equality and mutual respect, to partnership and to power-sharing. It has tried to turn back the clock to a failed past of sectarian domination and inequity. Unfortunately, it is leading the rest of political unionism by the nose. When unionist politicians therefore talk about the "mob" and demand the "sanitising" of the Garvaghy Road, what they mean — what they are saying out loud — is that, over the past number of weeks, the PSNI should have beaten and dragged peaceful residents off their own road just to allow a triumphalist and sectarian march through that small Catholic community. That is what they wanted. That is what the RUC and the British Army did in years gone by, and willingly, I would add. To those in political unionism, I say that this is not 1690. It is not 1921. It is not 1969. It is not even 1997. It is 2026, folks, and the Orange state is gone forever. There is, and will be, no going back. Today's motion is supposed to be about confidence. Let me talk briefly about confidence. My confidence is in the people of the Garvaghy Road. My confidence is in the people of Garvaghy Road for their dignity, their bravery, their resilience, their steadfastness, their generosity and for the people they are. My confidence is also in all those people who stood in defence of their rights. My confidence is in the people who asserted the rights of the Garvaghy Road residents to live free from sectarian harassment and intimidation. My confidence is also in the thousands of people who travelled from across Ireland to the Garvaghy Road to the plight of those residents; in the support internationally, in Europe and the US; in the brave voices from within the Protestant community who stepped forward to join in the chorus of "No going back"; in the leading figures from the world of music and the arts; in the LGBTQ+ citizens; in the many Gaels, all of whom spoke out; and in the overwhelming positivity and support that there was for a small and isolated community who needed support and who received it in abundance. That is what gives me confidence and hope for the future. It is no surprise to me that the three unionist parties have signed up to the motion, because the reality is that they have never accepted that things have changed. They have never accepted the reality that an Irish republican is now the First Minister, and a woman at that. They have never accepted equality; they have never accepted rights and respect; and, again, they still have not accepted the fact that it is 2026. Despite your efforts and this pointless motion, I will continue to be a First Minister for all. I will continue to show up, every day. I will continue to show up for workers, families and communities to secure fairer funding from the British Government for our public services to ensure that we can pay our nurses and teachers their salaries, and to ensure that we can fix and improve our public services. I will continue to stand up for what is right against what is wrong, for the future against the past, for equality against domination and for respect against division. Mr Speaker, let us look to the future, because there is no going back.
623 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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