Member's statement: PSNI: Attacks in Portadown
Member's statement by Mr Eóin Tennyson on .
- MLA
- Mr Eóin Tennyson
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 16 June 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- PSNI: Attacks in Portadown
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5010124
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I add my voice to the condemnation of the violent attacks on PSNI officers in Portadown last week. I want to be clear: what we witnessed was not protest. It was not legitimate and cannot be explained, excused or contextualised. It was wanton, racist thuggery. Those responsible for violence over the past week cannot profess to care about violence against women and girls while targeting women and girls in their homes. They cannot profess to be worried about a housing crisis when burning homes. They cannot profess to be interested in pressure on public services when destroying a leisure centre. It is important that, as elected representatives, we be clear and unequivocal in calling that out. I express my unwavering support for and solidarity with our ethnic minority community and our migrant community, particularly in Portadown, because I know that many of them are feeling fearful.
Last week, I spoke to a principal who noted that school attendance was down by almost 30% because so many families had been displaced from their homes. No family in our community should ever have to leave their home out of fear for their safety. We need immigration in Northern Ireland: that is the truth. The people who choose Northern Ireland as their home make a valuable contribution to our society, be it through teaching in our schools or through working in our health service, agri-food sector, hospitality industry and so many other areas. I am ashamed of what I witnessed in my home town. Of course, there are deep-seated social issues and inequalities, and many of our constituents face poverty. We should never scapegoat migrants for that crisis, however. Rather, we should take responsibility for our role in addressing and dealing with such challenges in our communities. To the politicians who have fanned the flames of division in recent weeks, I gently say this: please reflect, and let us work collectively to build a better and truly united community for everyone.
328 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 (0.99).
- Subject area: Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers.
- 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 | 0.38 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.05 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.08 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.27 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.01 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.99 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| 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 12:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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