Debate contribution: Places of Worship: Attacks
Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on .
- MLA
- Mrs Naomi Long
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 9 September 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Places of Worship: Attacks
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4511542
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As I said, I am committed to playing my part in delivering a safer community for everyone, including victims of race hate crime and in partnership with others in government and beyond. DOJ, the PSNI, the Housing Executive and the Department for Communities continue to jointly fund the hate incident practical action scheme. That scheme allows, in particular circumstances, personal and home protection measures if a person's home has been damaged or if they have been a victim of an incident or crime at home because of their race, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, political opinion or religious belief. In addition to legislative protections for victims, direct support for hate crime victims is provided through the Hate Crime Advocacy Service, which is jointly funded by the PSNI and DOJ. It supports victims of hate crime through the criminal justice process and signposts them to the relevant support services and can assist with third-party reporting. PSNI and crime prevention officers can also provide crime prevention advice. I encourage people who have been affected to keep in contact with the PSNI and ensure that all incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour are reported, no matter how insignificant they may seem at the time. Policing and community safety partnerships also work to identify issues of concern in the local area and to prepare plans to deliver practical solutions. The recently launched HELPinHAND app is designed to help victims of race hate crime and BAME communities understand the processes of reporting hate crime to the police while providing useful information and details of support. The app is initially available in five different languages. Building relationships in our community and more cohesive communities, however, is what will really make a difference. A whole-Executive approach is required if we are to tackle this, through the development of a strategies such as the racial equality strategy, the refugee integration strategy and all of the other anti-bullying and hate crime guidance in the curriculum by DE. Working with the Department for the Economy's stakeholders and PCSPs to support victims is hugely important. It is not just a matter for the Department of Justice; it has to be a matter for all of us in our society.
368 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).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.84).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.53).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- 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 | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.84 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.53 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.47 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.77 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.23 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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