Debate contribution: Sectarian and Racist Intimidation

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 16 September 2025.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

16 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Sectarian and Racist Intimidation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5111820

Read the official Assembly record

Text

We tabled the motion, as my colleague Kellie Armstrong outlined, because no one in this place should ever be attacked in their home because of who they are or things that they cannot control. Sadly, we have seen too many racist and sectarian attacks in recent months. In my constituency, I have worked with pregnant women and their families who had been forced out, children who were left frightened and people who were living in fear, and that is simply unacceptable. As political leaders, we have a duty to stand clearly with victims and to never give cover to the perpetrators. Words matter, but words alone are not enough. We call in the motion for a refreshed good relations strategy to tackle sectarianism and racism, but that needs to be targeted, realistic, resourced and delivered across all Departments, because, as people do not exist in silos, we should not design social policy in silos. As we face the housing crisis, we know that too many people have waited far too long for a safe, affordable home. The attacks that we saw over the summer have only made the situation worse. Conducting hate crimes and intimidating people out of their homes will not solve the housing crisis. Our motion calls for urgent action to protect the people who are targeted but also to deliver housing for all. A comment was made about legitimate concerns and how, when we talk about this, we diminish the concerns that communities feel. I want to be really clear that that is not what this is about. We can talk about the concerns that communities have without ever going down the route that those attacks were legitimate. There is nothing legitimate about targeting a house specifically and solely because of the nationality, race or religious background of the occupant. It is OK for us to say that.

Thank you. Absolutely. Another issue that I want to be very clear on, regarding those who commit crimes in our community, is that we have a justice system for a reason. The vigilantes and the attacks that we saw in my constituency under the guise of protection do nothing to protect our communities; they just perpetuate more trauma and more harm. The motion is about community safety. It is about investing in our communities. It is about having the kind of society where everyone, regardless of skin colour, background or whatever, feels safe, welcome and at home. In my constituency, the impact of the attacks is not just abstract. Children walk past burnt-out cars. People walk to school or work the next morning past horrendous graffiti. People walk past doors that have flags or little posters that denote the nationality of the people living inside, who hope that that will protect their property. The Education Minister confirmed to me that, in the aftermath, 84 pupils at one primary school did not return. That was not just absence; that was trauma. The legacy of those nights is not just wrecked buildings but wrecked childhoods. Unless we break that cycle, another generation will carry that trauma, not to mention those who are being encouraged to get involved in the violence that will then end up wrecking their childhood. I was a youth worker in east Belfast during the flag protests of 2012, and I will never forget a young person saying:

"We are encouraged to do this, but it is not them that get the tag on their ankle".

That is exactly what is happening again. We are looking, in the broader housing crisis, at nearly 50,000 households that are on a waiting list and nearly 37,000 people who are in housing stress. That was not created by newcomers or immigrant families; it is a direct result of inaction and a lack of investment not just in housing but in our infrastructure and our waste water management. It is also a result of the years during which the Assembly was collapsed, and we have to admit that. When there is no leadership to push change forward, the result is what we are now seeing. That neglect has left us with a broken housing system. The price of delay is always higher than the price of action, whether that be for policing costs, NHS care or the schools that have to invest in more counselling for traumatised children. We are seeing the long-term damage in fractured communities. Supporting the motion is not just a partisan choice; it is a moral necessity. No other mother should have to hide in an attic to save her children from a lynch mob. No other neighbour should be driven out under the cover of darkness because they are really frightened that their car was the first thing to be set on fire but are now afraid that it will be their house. Sectarianism and racism have scarred this place for long enough, and the vast majority of people, including those who contacted me, just want to live and let live in peace and respect. It is time for those voices to prevail. Social media makes it very easy for us to think that the louder voices dominate our society. I know that, in North Antrim, that is absolutely not the case, and that is the society that we should be building together.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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