Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I lament what happened at the weekend. There are two aspects to it. The first is about the fulfilment of rights. We should all be concerned about that. Even if we do not belong to a particular community or people, we should make sure that that community or those people enjoy the same rights as every other citizen in…
The people of the Garvaghy Road should have every right to expect to live peacefully and without fear in their homes and in their community. For the past 28 years, they have been able to move forward on that basis. Unfortunately, a reckless, disastrous and shocking decision by the Parades Commission, at the behest of…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Parades, bonfires and commemorationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging.
I am making the point. I do not care what people call me, but I question whether it is moderate or temperate language to refer to the people of the Garvaghy Road. I remind Members that the great socialist James Connolly once said: "All hail, then, to the mob, the incarnation of progress!"
Mr Speaker, it was said often that the Members who took part in Sunday's demonstration were part of a mob. Frankly, I do not care what people call me —.
Let me respond directly to the Benches opposite. The only party in the Chamber that is steeped in a history of murder, intimidation and sectarianism is Sinn Féin. For all its lauded words to distract from where we are and not content on Saturday with its republican mob intimidating elected unionist representatives —…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Sectarian or communal antagonism, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging.
It is utterly disgraceful that the small and legal parade by 35 Orangemen leaving from Drumcree church with no accompanying band was prevented yesterday by an illegal roadblock on the Garvaghy Road. The Members of the Assembly who took part in that illegal roadblock conducted a gross breach of their Pledge of Office.…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Sectarian or communal antagonism, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging, Controversy escalation.
The Parades Commission exists because the issues involved are incredibly difficult. They are emotional, and they carry history, identity, hurt and loss. Almost 30 years ago, we recognised that such decisions could not simply be left to whoever shouted the loudest or threatened violence. Therefore, we created an…
This was a time for leadership. Holding the post of First Minister or any ministerial position brings with it clear responsibilities and obligations, not just to lead but, of course, to urge calm heads and call people off the streets, to uphold the law and to be responsible. That is not optional; it is baked into the…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Sectarian or communal antagonism, Dog-whistle messaging.
I was humbled and proud to stand with the residents of the Garvaghy Road from Saturday through Sunday. When I arrived on the road after midnight on Saturday, I experienced the foreboding atmosphere and was struck by the sense of determined defiance in everyone's eyes. I spoke to countless residents, who stressed that…
Thirty-five Orangemen, silently parading at 8.00 am on a Sunday on their way home from church: that is what we are talking about in the face of the intolerance, abuse and vilification that has been directed at them. What is their crime? It is purely for being Protestant. That is the sectarian motivation of those who…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging.
First, let me say that I am really proud to support the determined and resilient people of the Garvaghy Road, who have conducted themselves with absolute dignity over recent days and weeks. Over the past couple of days, I talked to many people in that community who are utterly dismayed by what has happened and by how…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Parades, bonfires and commemorationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics.
Mr Speaker, I do not intend to rise to the bait that is being laid by others in the House. You appealed to us to be responsible and to be aware of the moment that we are in. I know exactly where I was on 27 September 1995: I was getting married. My husband was working in Lurgan, and I recall with clarity and profound…
Before I address the remarks of the Members opposite, I will bring the House back to the point of remembering that the determination was lawful. It is a determination that was tested in the courts. It is a determination that has the backing of the law in Northern Ireland: that 35 men can walk, with their collarettes,…
FlaggedSectarianism, hate crime and community relationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Sectarian or communal antagonism, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging.
What we saw in recent days goes beyond my comprehension, but what I understand very clearly, and what the nationalist people of the North understand very clearly, is that the Orange Order thinks that nothing has changed in the past 30 years. That is where it is wrong. It thinks that it can still do whatever it wants.…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Parades, bonfires and commemorationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Sectarian or communal antagonism, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging.
There will be many varied views on Drumcree. They all have some merit, but there is simply no consensus on it. That is why the courts had to look at it following the Parades Commission's determination. However, it goes far wider than Drumcree. Far more other issues need to be dealt with. First, we have to look at the…
I stood on the Garvaghy Road on Saturday night, and I was back again for most of Sunday, standing shoulder to shoulder with residents. I commend other parties and MLAs who did so, including the First Minister. I will tell the House what I saw. I saw elderly men and women who lived through 1997 refuse to be moved off…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Parades, bonfires and commemorationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Cultural grievance politics, Dog-whistle messaging.
It has been a difficult few days, particularly for the people of the Garvaghy Road. My party and my colleagues have engaged with and supported them over the past few days, and we did so without any apology, because those people have been through trauma. Anybody who knows the modern history of this place knows that, in…
We all have a duty to work for a better future for young people — I see pupils from my old school in the Public Gallery — and find a way through this issue, and that should weigh heavily on all of us today. However, it has to be founded on the rule of law, and two things can be true at once: we must respect the rule…
People outside this Building are in utter despair that this is where we are as a society this afternoon. People who are old enough to remember the Drumcree dispute are traumatised because they are reliving the hurt and pain of that period and having to sit down with their children — children who should never have…
This debate reflects the tribute that my colleague Pat Sheehan paid to Pól de Buitléir. Pól was born into a state that treated him and his family as second-class citizens. It violently beat those who demanded civil rights off the streets, and its armed forces attacked and killed people — all in pursuit of maintaining…
FlaggedDecided on a second assessment.Parades, bonfires and commemorationsCriteria met: Identity framing, Dog-whistle messaging.