Debate contribution: Racist Incidents

Debate contribution by Mr Harry Harvey on 12 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Harry Harvey

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

12 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Committee Business

Heading

Racist Incidents

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4658362

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As has been said, the DUP supports the motion, and I believe that we can all unite on this topic.

Racism is wrong, and it is incumbent on us all to call it out when it raises its ugly head and to work collectively to eradicate it from society. Contributors to the debate have reminded us of the scenes that played out on our streets and television screens earlier this year: totally unacceptable behaviour that caused untold damage to communities and individuals alike. In addressing the questions posed by the motion, it is important that we drill down into specifics within individual communities. Broad-brush approaches to the issue will avail us little. I am hopeful that the recent cross-departmental working group involving the PSNI and the Housing Executive, established following the summer disorder, will be able to identify similarities and differences in motivations behind behaviours. The same can be said of any Executive review flowing from the motion. Just as the factors that drive racially motivated criminality are multifaceted, any Executive review should be cross-cutting. All relevant Departments, agencies, community and voluntary organisations, elected representatives and members of the public should be engaged as part of that process. Above all, victims of the recent violence must be to the fore. It is widely accepted — all the statistics on this issue and similar instances of criminality bear it out — that such behaviour usually has a parallel interaction with high rates of poverty and deprivation and the influence of organised crime gangs. Rather than simply labelling those who engage in such criminality as "racist" or "fascist", any review must lift the veil on what drives individual children, young people and adults to get involved in such disorder in their own communities. We must be prepared to really seek answers to that pivotal question in the motion: why? Only when we begin to address the "why" will we begin to effect change for the better, not to condone violence, criminality or racism but to eradicate them from our streets and communities We must bear it in mind that no review or departmental intervention will provide the silver bullet that we would wish to provide. It must be acknowledged that contextual factors such as the prevalence of misinformation and hate manifested online and on social media platforms will not be captured or addressed with an Executive Office review or intervention. Ultimately, there needs to be a new, UK-wide focus on tackling the risk that social media poses in fuelling and coordinating public unrest that exceeds legitimate and free protest activity. Openness and transparency must be the watchwords for government, law enforcement and state media in how the public is engaged with on issues of public interest to ensure that public trust and confidence is retained. A central aspect of any wider review of tackling racism should be an assessment of how the PSNI responded, of whether the available resourcing was adequate and of the impact, physical and mental, on the officers who had to hold the line against the unrest witnessed across Belfast and elsewhere during the summer. We cannot leave those dedicated public servants out of the equation. I hope that the Justice Minister will agree with me on that point and consider it as part of any cross-departmental review. It must be remembered that much good work has been done and continues to be done to integrate communities, foster relationships and build capacity though many government-led initiatives, particularly Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) and Urban Villages. Those programmes have sought to direct interventions to where they have been needed most, particularly in areas of deprivation and ongoing community tension. Those on the Executive Office Committee and beyond are aware of the ongoing efforts to bring forward a refugee —

I will. I will finish by saying that a refugee integration strategy will undoubtedly be of great benefit in tackling the causes that have been manifested.

656 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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