Debate contribution: Pledge of Office: Support for Law and Order
Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on .
- MLA
- Ms Michelle O'Neill
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 19 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Pledge of Office: Support for Law and Order
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795646
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for her question. I can say to you that, yes, I am fully committed to the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and to the principles that underpin it: equality, respect and peace. My decision, which I own, to stand with the people of the Garvaghy Road was about standing with a community that made it clear that it has a desire to live free from fear and intimidation. That will always be the right thing to do. It was simply a matter of right versus wrong, of the past versus progress, and I am happy and comfortable with the position that I took. Standing alongside the Garvaghy Road community together with other political parties and thousands of people from across this island was a collective leadership effort to say that we will not go backwards. It is about a clear commitment to equality and to ensuring that never again will one community have its rights trampled on to the advantage of another. That extends well beyond political parties of a nationalist persuasion. It came from across the board, from people the length and breadth of this island. It came from more than 1,000 people from the unionist and Protestant community who signed up to a letter to say that they also agreed with the
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221 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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