Debate contribution: Opposition to Racism

Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on 8 August 2024.

MLA

Ms Michelle O'Neill

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

8 August 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Opposition to Racism

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4500450

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

I welcome the fact that the Assembly has convened today and that we are very strongly united in standing firmly against the racism, violence and intimidation that we have witnessed over the past few days. I welcome the fact that we have many people in the Public Gallery today and that many people at home will be watching on and looking for strong political leadership at this time of violence and intimidation. I very much welcome the tone that has been set, by and large, by most contributors to the debate. Racism is a stain on our society. There is a no to racism: there is no place for it in our society. There is no excuse, no rationale, no justification: racism is wrong in every single form. I want to speak directly to those who are inciting hatred in our society today. We see you, we reject you, and we reject your attitudes and actions. To those who are involved in violence and intimidation and in causing chaos and destruction, I say this: you will be dealt with by the full force of the law. To those who are targeting our minority communities, I say this: stop now, because you do not speak for us, and you will never speak for us. The racism and violence that we have witnessed are in stark contrast to the values of equality and respect that the Executive and the Assembly strive to promote and uphold. That was reaffirmed earlier today when our four-party Executive met. We see the devastating impact that those crimes have on victims. We have spoken to them. You all know them: they are your friends, your family and your community. We can see the devastation that has happened, and our thoughts are with all those people. Much more than that, though, they want to know that we have their back and that we will stand with them. Our healthcare workers are afraid to go to work. Our nurses are afraid to come home from work. Our mothers and families are afraid to take their children to a summer scheme or to the park. Our young people are afraid to walk the streets. That was a message that we heard loud and clear, and Members were hearing that too from the people whom they were engaging with. Certainly, yesterday, when the deputy First Minister and I met the racial equality subgroup, we heard that message. Yesterday evening, we met business owners who were impacted on, and we heard about their devastation and the support that they need. Make no mistake about it: last week's activity and the activity — I call it activity, but it is criminality — that we have witnessed over recent days was nothing more than raw racism, and it has to be addressed with a zero tolerance approach. Officials from the Executive Office are engaging with colleagues across Departments, with Belfast City Council, and with agencies and groups on the ground to explore how financial support can be provided to businesses that have been damaged or impacted on by the protests. The Executive will continue to implement the racial quality strategy 2015-2025, but, as Members have indicated, we need to work towards moving to the next stage of that. We acknowledge the work that has been done and the contributions that have been made right across our minority ethnic community, not just to our economic life but to our public, political, social and cultural life. This is our community. We must never lose sight of the fact that this is our community that we are talking about. We want to see all our local businesses grow, not be destroyed by acts of violence. The strategy itself acknowledges:

"We should be under no illusion about the size of the challenge involved in tackling racial inequalities."

and that it:

"will require time, effort and resources"

to be put in that direction.

It also recognises that each and every one of us has responsibility for playing our part in combating racism and racial inequalities by embracing the diversity that undoubtedly contributes to building a more vibrant, shared and equal society.

Full implementation requires the support of everybody out there: all of us and all partners. I acknowledge all that has been done by the voluntary and community organisations that work to combat racism, not just in weeks like this, at these horrendous times, but all year round, day in and day out. We commend your tireless efforts. The minority ethnic development fund is an example of the Executive's programme that supports the invaluable work of those organisations. One of our key aims has been to establish dedicated structures to ensure that racial equality is given continued focus and that there is a strong link with our minority ethnic population. Under the racial equality strategy, a subgroup was established to function as a strong voice within government on issues specifically affecting minority ethnic people, migrants and race relations. The subgroup has a significant role to play in supporting the delivery of the current priorities and, crucially, steering where we go and developing future priorities. We need to provide — I think that the Chair of the Committee for the Executive Office mentioned this — the best possible legal protection that we can to stand against racism and highlight that that was one of the key actions of the strategy itself. We have completed the public consultation, and the report on that, which was published this week, will inform how we move forward and what the next legislative change will look like. It moves us a step forward, closer to a more equal and safe society. While it will remain a key priority to deliver fully the current racial equality strategy, it is so important that we get the post-2025 strategy right and — this is why I concur with the motion — bring it forward as quickly as we can. The Executive also recognise the need to work collaboratively, including with the racial equality subgroup, thematic groups and the wider minority ethnic community and sector to ensure that we have inclusive processes, that we have the conversations and that we develop how we move forward together. Officials are already engaging on that in anticipation of the expiration of the current strategy. In addition to our racial equality strategy, the Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy represents our commitment to building a truly shared and united society, regardless of people's political, religious or ethnic backgrounds. As recent events have highlighted, much more work needs to be done. We are also very conscious of the fact that the fabric of society has changed since the launch of the T:BUC strategy way back when. On that basis, we have asked our officials to conduct a review of the strategy, including how to ensure that it meets the needs of our society, given its current make-up, and that it is a truly inclusive strategy for everybody who calls this place home, because in that will be the success of it. I acknowledge the work of the PSNI and other bodies during the unrest, and I reaffirm our commitment to work together to deliver a shared, peaceful and inclusive society. We are acutely aware of the resources issue that the Justice Minister mentioned. All our public services have been decimated by 14 years of Tory austerity. We are fighting back against that, and we want the new Labour Government to turn the tide on the austerity agenda of the past 14 years. We need properly funded public services. The Chief Constable was at the Executive meeting this morning. We talked about the situation that is unfolding. We also talked about the shared priority to tackle and push back against racism and to take a zero tolerance approach to intimidation and violence and push that back. We will continue to work with the PSNI to achieve a better funding model for the Police Service, as we will for our health and education systems and all our public services. People who have been displaced represent some of the most vulnerable in our society. We all have a responsibility to challenge prejudice and intimidation wherever we see it. People who are seeking protection make significant contributions to our society. We should value that. I certainly value that. We value that. Those people bring with them a rich diversity of culture, along with new ideas and approaches. Diversity will always have that strength. The publication of a refugee integration strategy therefore remains a priority for us in order to establish a clear framework through which we can collectively and successfully support two-way integration. All that work is best delivered through effective and properly resourced public services. As I said, we are acutely aware of the underfunding situation when it comes to our public services, and we are committed to doing all that we can. Our Finance Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, is making the case for that fair funding model to the Treasury and will continue to do so. We will, of course, continue all our efforts across government and in wider society to tackle racism and inequality in all their forms, which have been brought into sharp focus over the course of recent days.

People are looking to all of us in the Chamber for political leadership, and I know that Members want to provide that leadership, but we have to speak out and confront hate. We must challenge the lies that fuel this type of activity. We have to challenge them and make it abundantly clear that there is no tolerance of racism, hate, discrimination, intimidation, violence or criminality. This afternoon, I have covered some of the policy issues to which the motion refers. I could go into a lot more detail, but, for me, today is about sending a strong message. It is about a clarity of message coming from this elected body. It is about our sending that very strong message today, in an unequivocal way, that we reject racism. I started by speaking to those who are involved in criminal activity and in violence and intimidation, so let me finish by speaking to those people from an ethnic minority background who have been impacted on by the events of recent days, and not just recent days, as it is an underbelly in our society that we need to tackle. We say to you that your political leaders say no to racism. We say to you that your political leaders say no to intolerance and hate. We say yes to an inclusive society and yes to diversity. We say to you that you are our brothers and our sisters. We say to you that you are our community. We say to you that we are one community. Working with every person who has been elected to the House, I am determined to do everything that I can to build that better society, to choose hope over fear and to ensure that every child here has the best opportunity to flourish. We say no to this malevolent, violent activity, and we say no to racism. Let that be the only message that flows from the Chamber today.

1,878 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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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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