Debate contribution: Sectarian Hate Crimes
Debate contribution by Mr David Brooks on .
- MLA
- Mr David Brooks
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 13 October 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Sectarian Hate Crimes
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5175566
Read the official Assembly record
Text
It was interesting to hear the Minister speak about the tightness of resources in the context of what we have heard in the past day about the PSNI opening a hate-crime investigation into damage to a sign at Shandon Park. Can we be assured that there will now be investigations into any similar damage to signs across the country, including at the PSNI's initiative?
64 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: 0.17 (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).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.70).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.51).
- 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 | 0.11 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.51 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.13 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.16 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.70 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.17 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.35 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.13 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.51 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.96 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.04 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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