Member's statement: Galloon Parish Church: Vandalism
Member's statement by Mrs Deborah Erskine on .
- MLA
- Mrs Deborah Erskine
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 13 April 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Galloon Parish Church: Vandalism
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5483146
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I ask for just a moment's latitude, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, because this is my first time speaking in the Chamber since the birth, in September, of my daughter, Olivia. I place on record my sincere thanks to Members from across the House for their good wishes and prayers during what was a difficult time for my family. Your support was deeply appreciated. I rise today to condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on the Sunday school building at Galloon Parish Church over Easter weekend. This was a completely reprehensible incident. The place serves families and the wider community and should never have been targeted in such a way. It was especially distressing given that the incident took place over Easter, which is the most sacred time in the Christian calendar. What members of the congregation found was a vandalised hall, paint strewn across the windows and offensive slogans such as "Up the 'RA" — on a board depicting the Ten Commandments, ironically. Unsurprisingly, it has caused deep anger and hurt in the community of Newtownbutler. Those responsible must be identified and held accountable for their actions. I encourage anyone with any information to bring that to the PSNI. However, equally concerning is the silence from some political representatives. When places of worship are attacked, there should be no hesitation in condemning such incidents. They should be condemned clearly and without ambiguity. Perhaps Sinn Féin was too busy commemorating IRA terrorists over Easter to notice, but the community has taken note. When communities are hurting, such silence speaks volumes. People across Northern Ireland deserve better than selective condemnation. We have seen attempts in our society to excuse, minimise and glorify acts linked to violence and terrorism. That is why efforts to change that, such as Arlene Foster's House of Lords amendment on criminalising the glorification of terrorism, are important. Arlene has faced abuse for doing that. In fact, she received a message that said that the IRA should have finished her dad off. Think about that for one second. If we are serious about building a peaceful and respectful society, we must also be serious about rejecting narratives that romanticise violence and terrorism, particularly for our younger generations. I place on record my support for the minister, the congregation and the families connected to the church. It has long been a source of strength in that community, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be so. Attacks on places of worship have no place in the Northern Ireland of today, and the House should stand united in saying so.
434 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations
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: 0.52 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Identity framing (0.60); Dog-whistle messaging (0.67).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.57).
- Subject area: Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations.
- The answers did not meet either automatic threshold.
What a flag means. A flag means the activity contains at least one instance of culture-war framing that met the published test. It does not mean the whole activity is divisive, or that its substantive arguments are wrong.
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
- Mixed
Against the published rubric
Most of the statement condemns a sectarian attack on a church Sunday school, including the slogan "Up the 'RA", and urges people to give information to the police. Condemning such an attack is legitimate and is not culture-war activity in itself. The statement then turns to a named party with the sarcastic line that it was "too busy commemorating IRA terrorists over Easter to notice". It goes on to talk of "selective condemnation" and attempts to "glorify" terrorism, which carries the attack on republican commemorations into a wider legacy argument. Under the rubric, condemning one thing while advancing an identity-based attack elsewhere in the text counts as adopting the framing.
Public interest or divisiveness
Opposing vandalism of a place of worship and supporting the congregation serves the public interest and opposes division. However, a substantial part of the statement is used for point-scoring against a party and the commemorations of one tradition. Phrases such as "the community has taken note" and "such silence speaks volumes" continue a communal argument rather than closing it. The closing call for the House to "stand united" sits alongside this partisan jab, so both elements are substantial.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.60 | Yes |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.29 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.29 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.67 | Yes |
| Controversy escalation | 0.33 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.18 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.52 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.02 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.41 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.57 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.52 |
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.38 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.10 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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