Debate contribution: Opposition to Racism
Debate contribution by Miss Deirdre Hargey on .
- MLA
- Miss Deirdre Hargey
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 8 August 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Opposition to Racism
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4500367
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I absolutely condemn and abhor the vile Islamophobic and racist attacks that have occurred in my constituency of South Belfast and other parts of Belfast over the past number of days. First, let me be clear that Belfast is a progressive, forward-looking and inclusive city. It is a place that I am proud to call home and it is proudly diverse. The scenes of racist violence, destruction, thuggery and intimidation are disgusting and are not reflective of the Belfast that I know and love. On Saturday, I was on the ground alongside activists, countering the racist demonstration at City Hall. Later that day, I stood side by side with the proud residents of the lower Ormeau Road, who stood up and stopped the racist mob from progressing further on our streets. Later that day, I met the owners of businesses that were attacked along Botanic. Indeed, accommodation housing refugees and asylum seekers was attacked. Lessons can be learned from the policing operation, and mistakes must not be repeated. The priority must be to protect people and property and face down racism, violence and intimidation. However, those responsible for what happened over the past number of days are the individuals and groups who whipped up hate online and then came out onto our streets to cause havoc and mayhem, fuelled by Islamophobia and racist hate. Those people must now be held accountable for their actions and face the full force of the law. There can be no place for racism, hatred, discrimination or intimidation anywhere in our society. Throughout the past week, I have been on the ground, constantly engaging with our minority communities and our businesses in areas where sporadic violence and attacks have been continuing. People are living in real fear, and you are hearing that daily. Already, we are hearing reports of nurses planning to leave the North in search of a safer location. They are people who work in our hospitals, they are our local shopkeepers and they are our neighbours. The message coming from the Chamber today must be one of unity — no ifs, no buts. Belfast is a proud, multicultural city. Hate, racism and discrimination will not be tolerated by its people. It is time for all political parties and community leaders to be unequivocal in their condemnation of racist, Islamophobic violence. No longer can people be allowed to hide from public scrutiny. With one voice today, we say, "Stop". Stop the hate, stop the Islamophobia, stop the racism, stop the hatred and discrimination and stop the intimidation. We must stand in solidarity with our minority communities, and I will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as one community.
447 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: 0.06 (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).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.99).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- 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 | 0.37 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.08 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.07 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.23 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.06 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.01 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.61 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.31 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.08 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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