Member's statement: Polish Community in Northern Ireland
Member's statement by Mrs Deborah Erskine on .
- MLA
- Mrs Deborah Erskine
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 13 May 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Polish Community in Northern Ireland
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4488570
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today is a very exciting day as we mark 20 years of the Polish community's coming to Northern Ireland to make this beautiful part of the world their home. We say, "Thank you" to many of those people for the contribution that they have made. As has been outlined, later today in Parliament Buildings there will be an event to launch the Friends of Poland cross-party group, which will have the aim of maintaining the relationship between the Polish community in Northern Ireland and elected Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The group will aim to increase awareness of the Polish community and its contribution to Northern Irish culture, economy and daily life. It is hoped that, through the group, Polish communities living in Northern Ireland will feel more connected to political life and able to contribute more to society through political means. The Friends of Poland group has been supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Belfast and many other Polish groups. I put on record the work carried out by Maciek Bator, who many in the Chamber will know. Maciek has been a voice for the Polish community in Northern Ireland and has done excellent work in communities. In the past 20 years, the Polish community has established itself in Northern Ireland, and over 25,000 Polish people now live here. They have added to our social and cultural tapestry and are the largest ethnic minority group here, with Polish the second most-spoken language in Northern Ireland after English. Poland is the only European country with a full-time diplomatic mission in Northern Ireland. A perhaps little-known fact is that, during the Second World War, Polish airmen were based here in a defence role, and Polish Second World War graves are located in several parts of the country. As a local representative, I have really appreciated the attendance of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland, Jerome Mullan, at Remembrance Sunday events in Enniskillen through the years. His faithful attendance is a recognition and a symbol of the bonds and ties that bring our communities together. I look forward to today's events. I thank my colleagues John Blair and Mike Nesbitt and other Members across the Chamber. Hopefully, we can all work together for a better Northern Ireland for everybody who chooses to live and work here.
392 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.12 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.08 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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