Debate contribution: Tackling Paramilitarism and Promoting Good Relations
Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on .
- MLA
- Ms Michelle O'Neill
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 28 April 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Tackling Paramilitarism and Promoting Good Relations
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4913512
Read the official Assembly record
Text
They are two elements of the same thing for sure, given the conversation that we have just had about how unacceptable it is that paramilitaries still exist. Everybody should use their elected office to call it out for what it is and tell them to desist. If we are going to build a more inclusive society, we have to continue to work at that. I am struck by the fact that, given the day that is in it and the commentary that we heard about how Pope Francis remarked that we had achieved so much in 25 years, we still have a journey to go.
Our peace is an ongoing process. I am committed to doing that through our good relations work, our ending violence against women and girls strategy and our work to end and tackle paramilitarism. All those things are interlinked, and looking at them in silos would do a disservice to our community.
156 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).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.70).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- 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 | 0.07 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.28 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.70 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.30 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.74 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.15 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.05 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.02 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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