Member's statement: Sectarian Attacks: North Belfast
Member's statement by Ms Carál Ní Chuilín on .
- MLA
- Ms Carál Ní Chuilín
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 27 May 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Sectarian Attacks: North Belfast
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4971978
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As we speak, John Finucane MP is convening a multi-agency meeting in North Belfast to try to give support to the residents in Annalee Street and Alloa Street who, last week, were subjected to attacks. In case people do not know, a mob of masked men attacked houses with bats and masonry, shattering the windows of rooms where small children were sleeping and residents were watching TV. There was no warning, no provocation and, certainly, no justification. I put on record my thanks to Brian Kingston, who visited the families. He has made his apologies for not being able to be here today. I ask that, collectively, as North Belfast representatives, we stand together to call those attacks out. As if one instance of attacks was not bad enough, the second was reprehensible. We learned at the weekend that at least two other families have been intimidated into leaving their homes. Nearly all those residents have small kids. The news reported that one of them had been waiting for a home for eight years and had moved in last November. All of this came out of the blue. There is no place for hatred, bigotry or sectarianism in our society, regardless of where it emanates from. In North Belfast, we have done, and continue to do, our level best to work together to ensure that we keep the peace. However, when attacks happen, they need to be called out and the residents need to be supported. Such actions, particularly in an interface area, undermine that work. They undermine peace. More importantly, they strike fear and terror into the lives of families. The PSNI have confirmed that they are treating the incidents as sectarian attacks. I appeal to everyone to, at some stage this week, stand together, shoulder to shoulder, to condemn those attacks, to call them out and to give support to the residents, who are living in absolute terror.
320 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: 0.07 (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 (0.97).
- 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 | 0.25 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.05 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.05 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.29 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.03 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.97 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:33 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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