Topical question AQT 2105/22-27
Topical question by Mr Peter Martin on .
- MLA
- Mr Peter Martin
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 2 March 2026
- Type
- Topical question
- Assembly reference
- AQT 2105/22-27
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5432821
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Mr Martin asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister, given that tens of thousands of Iranians in the UK have taken to the streets to celebrate the demise of the ayatollah, who, as the deputy First Minister referenced, was responsible for the torture, rape, imprisonment and execution of tens of thousands of his own people, and that, on Sunday, hundreds of Iranians were at Belfast City Hall carrying pre-Islamic Revolution flags, Israeli flags and US flags, whether they stand with them or with those in the Chamber who appear to deeply lament the ayatollah's passing?
96 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Follow-ups by the same MLA in the Chamber
These were assessed together with this record:
Assessment
Another identity-related subject
Flagged on a second assessment, because Jev’s answers did not settle it. The reasons are given below.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.61 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.88); Controversy escalation (0.76).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.70).
- Subject area: Another identity-related subject.
- The answers did not meet either automatic 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.
Second assessment
Jev’s answers did not settle this record, so a second model, claude-opus-5-5, read the same text (without the MLA’s name or party) and gave its reasons on 21 October 2026. How the second assessment works
- Verdict
- Flagged
- Public interest or divisiveness
- Mainly advances divisiveness
Against the published rubric
The question asks no practical policy question. Its function is a loaded choice: whether the ministers "stand with" Iranians celebrating at City Hall with "Israeli flags and US flags" or "with those in the Chamber who appear to deeply lament the ayatollah's passing". It maps a foreign conflict onto political divisions in the Chamber and uses insinuation to put opponents on the record as sympathisers with a brutal regime, which the rubric treats as point-scoring and controversy escalation. Condemning the regime's abuses is legitimate in itself, but here it serves as a vehicle for that jibe. The follow-up about consular information for citizens in the region is substantive but separate.
Public interest or divisiveness
The question seeks no information and serves no decision that ministers have to make. Its evident purpose is to embarrass other members by forcing them to choose sides in a framing tied to Middle East flags and allegiances, which carry communal meaning in Northern Ireland. That deepens division in the Chamber rather than addressing the substance of the issue. The follow-up on helping British and Irish passport holders does serve the public interest, but the topical question itself is mainly divisive.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.88 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.16 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.26 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.35 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.76 | Yes |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.13 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.61 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.20 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.08 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.02 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.70 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.80 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.15 |
| Immigration, asylum, race, ethnicity and Travellers | 0.03 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:57 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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