Debate contribution: Racism
Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on .
- MLA
- Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 7 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Racism
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4579092
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for his question. We have seen racism play out, not just on our streets, albeit by a small minority, but on social media. As the Member reminds us, today is the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on 7 October 2023 in Israel. We must remember that date as one of the darkest days. Today, we remember the men, women and children who were brutally murdered one year ago and recognise the strength of those who have lost loved ones or had them taken from them. We should all be concerned about the ongoing situation in the Middle East. We should all be calling for all hostages to be returned safely to their families and for calm to be restored in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region. Israel, of course, has a right to defend herself. I am deeply saddened by the antisemitism and racism that has been demonstrated on social media, on the streets and in other forums on the issue. We should all stand united against all forms of racism and sectarianism, no matter where that is found.
184 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: 0.13 (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 (0.93).
- 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 | 0.46 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.08 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.14 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.14 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.13 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.06 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.93 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.79 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.12 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.09 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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