Emma Sheerin
Mid Ulster · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“Given what we have seen unfold across the North in recent weeks, it is important that we acknowledge that they are people with particular vulnerabilities who are particularly sensitive and, with that in mind, consider our language.”
“No, I will not give way. You have rambled on for long enough in this place. <BR /> <BR />When it comes to the early clauses of the Bill, I, like others, put on the record our appreciation of the work of Geraldine Hanna and our support for the intent of Part 1 of the Bill, which puts the role that she has been carrying out impeccably thus…”
“I thank the Minister for clarifying that immigration is an excepted matter, which means that it is the responsibility of the British Government and nothing to do with the House.”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. Members will be aware that the DUP and some of its lackeys in the UUP cynically used petitions of concern, two weeks ago, to block rights for children.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak at the Second Stage of the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill. I am proud to be from a party that consistently supports the best available human rights advice on all matters.”
“For many years, Donaldson used his position of power to abuse and to escape justice. He presented himself as a role model. We now know that that was bogus and that his public persona was a deception.”
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“It is not antisemitic to criticise the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which is in contravention of the Geneva Convention. Those people have to acquire a permit to move around their own homeland and are denied access to basic utilities. The most recent violence erupted following further forced evictions in east Jerusalem. Missiles were fired on a mosque as people were inside. It is ethnic cleansing. <BR /> <BR />Reports tell us that almost 220 people have been killed over the past week, 209 of whom were Palestinians. The Gaza Strip is smaller than County Louth; 58 children have been murdered there this week, 40,000 people have been displaced from their homes and a building housing international media has been bombed into extinction.”
“Mr Speaker, you set out how this Matter of the Day meets the criteria. To satisfy the criteria, it must meet two requirements: it must be a matter of exceptional public interest and it must affect the people of the North. I do not know how anybody could watch the events that we see unfolding in Palestine at the minute without feeling affected. As inhabitants of the world and members of the human race, an injustice against any of us is an injustice against us all. That is what is happening. <BR /> <BR />A few weeks ago, I sat in the Chamber in complete disbelief as Sinn Féin and Gerry Carroll were the only Members not to support the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of "antisemitism", which says that it is antisemitic to criticise the Israeli state.”
“I echo the thanks to the Minister for the announcement of the investment in the CAFRE campuses at Loughry and Greenmount. As a Mid Ulster MLA, I am aware of Loughry's unique course provision and how important that is to anybody who wants to pursue a career in agriculture or any of the other particular threads. <BR /> <BR />Does the Minister agree that the investment has the potential to provide an economic boost to the big town of Cookstown, which the Loughry campus is just beside?”
“Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, as you will be aware, you are required to implement the articles of the EU single-use plastics directive that apply to the North and that are to be transposed in July of this year. The action plan that you have produced does not provide me with a lot of confidence as to your commitment to a reduction in single-use plastic usage. Will you commit to applying those articles as per the time frame? Will you go further and say that, owing to the innovative ideas contained within, you will look at implementing the directives to which you are not required to commit?”
“It is imperative that we all condemn antisemitism and do so in a way that does not endorse the discrimination of any other marginalised communities or allow the criticism of oppressive states to be censored. I commend the amendment to the House. Sinn Féin will not push the amendment to a vote.”
“It cynically uses examples of antisemitism as cover for Israeli Government treatment of Palestinians today. The Palestinian people in 2021 are living under siege. They are denied their rights; they are unable to build homes, access basic utilities and travel freely. <BR /> <BR />As has already been referred to, the group Jewish Voice for a Just Peace, whose members are from the Jewish community in Ireland, has criticised the definition because of its attempts to impose specific limits on any discussion of Zionism and Israel's violations of human rights. Again, as others have made reference to, we had the launch today of a report from Human Rights Watch that concludes:”
“They include the British Empire in Ireland, India, America and elsewhere; the Portuguese domination of much of South America and south-east Asia; and Dutch invasion and control of swathes of Asia and south Africa. The list goes on and on. The stories of colonisation, regardless of location, feature common themes: violence; supremacy; the eradication of indigenous people, language and culture; and, overwhelmingly, hurt. <BR /> <BR />Colonialism left us all a sad legacy of racism and xenophobia. That is where the IHRA definition of "antisemitism" is problematic. It prevents genuine and real criticism of an Israeli Government who, at present, are giving life to that same racism through discrimination and cultural supremacy. The definition conflates Zionism and Judaism.”
“They carry the pain and loss of their relatives, as well as the knowledge that, at one time across swathes of Europe, being Jewish was enough to make you a victim. Modern-day antisemitism, be it in the shape of graffiti on walls, online abuse or even just comedy based on untrue and hurtful stereotypes, further compounds that pain. <BR /> <BR />What unfolded in World War II was ethnic cleansing in preparation for domination; the eradication of an entire population driven by ignorance, intolerance and greed. Those same motives were at the heart of every colonising power that we can point to in our recent history. The number of examples that we have of that is a damning indictment on humanity.”
“<BR /> <BR />We have all heard the horror stories of the Holocaust and the terror that was imposed upon the Jewish people of Europe by the Nazi state. None of us should underestimate the intergenerational trauma that has been inherited by thousands of people from the Jewish community worldwide as a result. Your identity should not feel like baggage that you should be ashamed of, but that is what xenophobia, racism and antisemitism leads to. <BR /> <BR />The genocide of over 6 million Jewish people across Europe in the 1940s was harrowing. It has left a very real and lasting scar on our world. The ancestors of those survivors who fled from torture in concentration camps bear that hurt.”
“It must be called out and challenged. It has impacts that reach far beyond its most obvious manifestations. I echo the solidarity with the Belfast Jewish community on the recent awful attack on graves in Belfast City Cemetery. No doubt that caused hurt and anguish for the families affected. However, just as the murder of a black man on the street in Minneapolis affected more than just his friends and family and the legitimisation of conversion therapy hurts more than just those young people who have been coerced into thinking that they should be something other than what they are, those sorts of antisemitic attacks hurt more than just the loved ones of the deceased whose graves have been desecrated.”
“I am speaking in support of the amendment. I will say at the outset that it is fantastic that we are having this debate. We are now almost in a routine in the Chamber of having these really important conversations about systemic and societal discrimination, unpicking the thinking that leads to outward expressions of hatred and assessing the ramifications for anyone impacted by it. Last week, we voted to ban the cruel practice of conversion therapy. A few weeks ago, we discussed misogynistic violence. Today, we are condemning antisemitism. Although the terminology changes and the specific challenges for the respective communities vary, the key components remain the same. <BR /> <BR />Just like any other form of discriminatory prejudice, whether that be sexism, racism, sectarianism or homophobia, antisemitism is wrong.”
“They listed concerns that never would have occurred to me as a young person. There is an additional layer of rural isolation with which I did not have to contend when I was growing up. The motion is a step in undoing some of that harm. It is about telling members of our LGBTQI+ community that they are valued and loved just as they are. The Assembly has not always been a friendly place for people who identify as LGBTQI+. That is the only thing that requires a fix.”
“There is also discrimination in the workplace, attacks on nights out, homophobic abuse on social media and threatening catcalls on the street. When we talk about those matters, I always think of people, particularly young people, growing up in rural areas such as my own who are grappling with their sexuality and figuring out that they are gay, lesbian or trans and all of the challenges that that can bring because of a lack of resources, education, community and support. Our LGBTQI+ population is dispersed by its very nature. That is felt all the more when you live in the country. <BR /> <BR />A few weeks ago, one of our councillors — Councillor Cora Corry — and I met Mid Ulster Pride, which is a group of young people trying to establish an LGBTQI+ network in their constituency. I learned a lot from our conversation.”
“That requires ownership and acknowledgement. <BR /> <BR />I note that a proponent of those therapies, who was challenged this morning on radio, claimed that homosexuality or transsexuality is a lifestyle choice, as Mr Muir referred to. When he was asked whether people should be allowed to change from heterosexual to LGBTQI+, he faltered. Of course we know why: to change who you are and who you love is not possible. We are not having this conversation about people attempting to turn gay; we all know that those in our LGBTQI+ community have fewer rights and face more challenges. Our LGBTQI+ community has had to fight hard for the realisation of its rights. In doing so, that community faced stigma, shame and ignorance. Unfortunately, that is just the thin end of the wedge.”
“Conversion therapy, slurs daubed on walls and violent attacks are the physical outworkings of a much deeper problem: they are symptoms of homophobia. It is that discriminatory prejudice that we really need to address. <BR /> <BR />No one is born homophobic; it is something that is conditioned by society. Like any other form of discrimination, we need to challenge homophobia when we are confronted with it. Just as institutionalised racism survived the abolition of slavery and the ending of Jim Crow, the implementation of marriage equality did not fix all the issues that LGBTQI+ people face. Telling people that you regard them as equal is important, but, unless you actually treat them as equal, you have failed. Allowing language that ostracises and others people leads to those people being ostracised and othered.”
“From a rights perspective, this could not be more clear: banning conversion therapy is the bare minimum. This is not even about applying the conditions for LGBTQI+ brothers and sisters to live a life with equal opportunity; this is about removing a real and visceral barrier to a full and happy life. <BR /> <BR />Under article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, everyone has the right to live life free from inhumane or degrading treatment, which is what those so-called therapies clearly amount to. The testimonies from people who have been subjected to conversion therapy speak for themselves. Article 8 of the ECHR allows everyone the right to a private life. Imposing your views, whatever they are, on another person's home is a contravention of that.”
“As has been said, Sinn Féin will support the motion and reject the amendment. I preface my remarks with thanks to the UUP Members who tabled the motion. I place on record an acknowledgement of the huge amount of work done by Micky Murray of the Alliance Party through the online petition that he started last year and, of course, the Ban Conversion Therapy alliance for its work in bringing so many people together to call out the notion that gay people need a fix or a cure. I was happy to hear from my constituents, who lobbied me on this. <BR /> <BR />It is reassuring to see such consensus across parties for the banning of this cruel and inhumane practice. Work began last year when Carál Ní Chuilín met the Justice Minister and the Health Minister in the summer. Our party is working on this in the South through Fintan Warfield's Bill of 2018.”
“I am trying not to take it personally that she left so close to my coming into this role. We have them tortured, and they are always quick at coming back. Thank you.”
“Sorry to interrupt. I should have said this in my contribution, but I neglected to. I am sure that the other Members would echo my thanks to the DFI staff, particularly Tracy Bratton, who, I know, has just departed her post. They respond to our queries and requests.”
“There is a Gaelscoil there with pupils and parents going to and from the car park between St Columba's Primary School and Gaelscoil na Speiríní, and it is a massive safety issue. <BR /> <BR />I have also written to Minister about some of the schools that Mr McGlone referred to in Derrychrin and Ballylifford. We await a decision on speed camera measures at both of those sites. <BR /> <BR />I reiterate my thanks for the debate. It is really important for our constituents. When you are up here talking about important legislation, rural roads may not seem all that important or a priority, but, for people from rural areas, it affects their life every day.”
“Our football club is in Straw, which means that people will be walking to and from it in the evening. It is a great walking route, particularly in these times when people cannot go out and about and do the things that they would like to do. We all know the benefits of increased exercise and getting out and about in the evening, and the lack of street lighting there is a real issue that is always raised with me. I know that it does not meet the criteria, at present, on the number of front-facing properties, but it is something that I would love to see a reconsideration of and a change to the criteria to allow street lighting. It would increase the safety at that site.”
“<BR /> <BR />There are two schools in Straw, and, when I was first co-opted into this role, one of the first things that I started to work on was getting a zebra crossing in Straw. I went to school in St Columba's Primary School in Straw, and parents were talking to me who had children at that school or had themselves gone to that school when I was there. It was an issue that had been there for 20 years. The reaction to that was massive. However, the speed limit is still not being respected. It is a through route to Magherafelt, and you will find lorries flying along the road. I have written to the Minister about the road between Straw and Draperstown. There is about a mile-long stretch, where, in between the two centres, there is an increase in road speed. There is no street lighting for a portion of that.”
“St Eoghan's Primary Schoool in Moneyneena will benefit from the 20 mph scheme, which is welcome news. We got a road resurfaced in Moneyneena: it now has its own motorway. However, as a result of that, people are just driving harder, and the 30 mph zone is not respected at all. <BR /> <BR />I echo the remarks that my colleague made on the SID signs. They are a great addition and are very helpful. Road users will tell you that it focuses their mind on the speed that they are driving at. We can all subconsciously speed, especially when driving in a rural area. If the road below you is smooth, you do not notice your speed. The flashing indicator that tells you that you have gone over the speed limit is helpful. However, we need increased speed camera measures in Moneyneena from the village — if you can call it that — to the school.”
“Spires Integrated Primary School in Magherafelt has a 40 mph limit outside the school, which needs to be lower. Mr McGlone referred to St Patrick's Primary School in The Loup, on the Ruskey Road. I know that a reduction from 40 mph to 30 mph is being considered, but there is a football club nearby and there is no street lighting or pavement. There are evenings when training is happening or people are trying to get out for a walk, and it is just an accident waiting to happen. There is also St Mary's Primary on the Glen Road in Maghera. I used to take the hand out of Ian Milne, saying that he was the Member for Bellaghy when he was an MLA, but I am quickly becoming the Member for Ballinascreen. We have couple of schools in Ballinascreen, and I have raised the issue and reached out to the Minister about them.”
“To get an announcement that the speed limit was going to be 20 mph was life-changing. It was a weight off their shoulders. It struck me when I was discussing it with parents and teachers that, if you go into a town or city anywhere in the North, you know that the speed limit will be 30 mph or lower, but if you travel for 10, 15 or 20 miles, you can pass schools where the speed limit is 20 mph, 30 mph or 60 mph. There is no uniform approach. You then have drivers acting the eejit, as Mr McGlone outlined, and the school is upon them before they realise. There is not enough awareness. <BR /> <BR />This debate gives us an opportunity to raise specific issues that have been raised with us in our constituency. I will speak about a few schools, some of which have already been mentioned.”
“I have to say that we are very parochial in Mid Ulster, and there are bits of east Tyrone that I could not take you through if you gave me until tomorrow. I have to say, however, that the schools that I work with in south Derry have concerns about safety. Those concerns play very heavily on the minds of parents and teachers alike, and when the Minister announced at the end of last year the temporary 20-mph measure, I had never heard such a response from parents. It was one of pure relief. I wrote to the Minister on several occasions about some of the schools that are affected, such as Crossroads Primary School on Drumagarner Road in Kilrea. The parents who take their children to that school, which runs alongside a road where the national speed limit applies, were fearful for their children's lives every day.”
“Like others, I start by thanking Keith Buchanan for bringing the topic to the Assembly this evening, and I put on the record my well wishes to him. He is self-isolating, so I wish him all the best and hope that he is in good health. <BR /> <BR />Since I first got involved in political activism in my community, I can say wholeheartedly that roads issues and safety relating to roads have been the number-one concern when I meet constituents. Concerns range from maintenance of roads, such as potholes and other road surface issues, to winter gritting, such as rural roads that do not receive any winter treatment in icy and snowy conditions, to speeding on rural roads. <BR /> <BR />I was laughing at the Principal Deputy Speaker's facial expressions when the Members beside me were listing some of the schools in our constituency.”
“<BR /> <BR />CEDAW's concluding observations in 2019 listed worries about the lack of uniform protection of women and girls from all forms of gender-based violence across the jurisdiction of the state party, noting with particular concern the inadequacy of laws and policies to protect women. With that in mind, I welcome the introduction of this strategy, and I commend the motion.”
“The narrative that all men are physically strong, violent, irresponsible ogres incapable of controlling their animal instincts could not be further from reality. It does our men a huge disservice. It creates unhelpful stereotypes that prevent male victims of abuse from coming forward, prevents men from accessing mental health services, and puts up barriers to men talking about their feelings and experiences in an open way. It is not all men, but if you snigger at rape jokes or belittle the reactions of female friends or colleagues, you are part of the problem. It does us no harm to check ourselves on internalised misogyny and ask ourselves whether we are doing enough to challenge the inequality that we all witness daily.”
“It is not many years since, during a highly publicised trial relating to an alleged rape, a woman's underwear was displayed in court to prove the innocence of the accused by way of insinuations of the alleged victim's character. Lacy underwear does not mean "up for it". This sort of victim-blaming is another symptom of the misogyny that is the root cause of our high levels of gender-based violence in the first instance. <BR /> <BR />Misogyny and the continued existence of the patriarchy hurt us all. Yes, it is women who bear the brunt of attacks, women who suffer the raw end of the deal with the pay gap and career advancement, and women who have to endure commentary about our appearance, our behaviour and our morality, but the societal norms perpetuated by outdated patriarchal structures hurt us all.”
“We have all noticed a taxi driver taking an unexpected route, instantly felt our throat tighten, and rung a friend to tell them where we are; crossed the street on a walk at night and fashioned our keys as a weapon; told someone that we had a boyfriend, even when we did not; laughed along at an inappropriate joke so as not to be seen as difficult; or felt a hand where we did not want one. Sarah Everard did everything that she was supposed to do — we have heard that over and over — because we are supposed to keep ourselves safe. <BR /> <BR />How many times have you heard about someone getting assaulted and then hearing a running commentary about what she was wearing, how many drinks she had consumed, whether she was on her own — whether she deserved it?”
“However, nothing that we have seen being discussed in the public discourse in recent times sparked the same level of reaction on my feeds, from friends as well as fellow politicos, as the murder of Sarah Everard. As I was remarking to my friend about the number of people whom I would not count as being political commenting on the issue, he was expressing shock at the levels that women go to, on a daily basis, to keep themselves safe. <BR /> <BR />Sarah Everard's murder resonated with so many women because we can all relate.”
“Last week, I had a conversation with a male friend that exposed how differently we think about the issue. We were talking about the echo chamber that is social media. My politics, by virtue of my Sinn Féin membership, are fairly obvious, so my timelines are full of other lefties who will have reposted Black Lives Matter slogans, condemning racism following the killings of George Floyd and George Nkencho respectively; who will criticise Members for homophobic letters that they have written; who have expressed disgust at the cruel and insensitive protests that have been taking place at clinics, such as the protest in Newry, which has been going on for weeks.”
“Perhaps, it stands to reason that ensuring that we are not the victims of crime is also our job, solely.”
“I rise in support of the motion and the amendment. I commend the Members who have brought them to the Assembly. It is timely. Others have made reference to the sad murders of two women, last week, just a couple of miles up the road. I add my condolences to those offered to their families. <BR /> <BR />According to the UN, women, worldwide, aged 15 to 44, are more at risk from domestic violence and rape than they are from war, malaria, car accidents and cancer. It is a risk that we as women are acutely aware of. When it is normalised and deemed necessary to give teenage girls rape alarms, the course has been set for their lives. Women shoulder the burden of caring responsibilities, the brunt of domestic duties, responsibility for family planning and contraception.”
“Do you agree that the lighting policy and the overall ethos and symbolism of the House needs to be inclusive and representative of all the communities that it represents and that there is a massive imbalance in symbolism that needs to be addressed?”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. As she outlined, workers who are perceived to be from a Catholic background are massively under-represented in the Prison Service. Inspection reports into several prisons, including Magilligan and Maghaberry, have reported worse outcomes for Catholic prisoners, presumably as a result of that. Can the Minister advise the House of the steps that are being taken to address those issues?”
“On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Minister accused me of calling him a liar: I want to put it on record that I did not call him a liar. I said that he had repeatedly said that he would not commission the services. He then went back to say that it was not his responsibility, that it was a cross-cutting matter and that it was for the Executive to do so.”
“Minister, you have repeatedly said that you are not going to commission those services. What do you say to the women who are being forced to travel to England in the middle of a global health pandemic to access health services that they are entitled to under the law at home?”
“I hope that this will be the first step on a journey that ends in equality and respect for us all.”
“<BR /> <BR />The motion calls for action on an agreement from New Decade, New Approach, which, of course, created the conditions for our restored five-party power-sharing Executive. It is vital that we deal with the issues around flags, identity, culture and tradition, as we should with all commitments from NDNA, and that requires common enterprise. Political leadership means that we look to the future together. The challenge before each party in the House is how we demonstrate equal expression to the identity, legitimate aspirations and traditions of all our people. We need to be inclusive and commit to a shared focus on anti-sectarianism and reconciliation. In that context, I look forward to a meaningful conversation on the FICT report and its recommendations.”
“There has been a failure of leadership from many across the House in their attempt to maintain a status quo that has long gone and a refusal to challenge and confront sectarianism, racism and xenophobia. The antidote to all those isms is to affirm positively and commit to the delivery of the rights and entitlements of all our people. The debate on constitutional change will be the context for progressing work on identity, tradition, overcoming sectarianism and addressing sectarian segregation. The days of majority rule are over. This is not about only unionists and nationalists. There are many new communities that must be seen, heard and represented in our society.”
“The language was removed by "antiquators" from Britain, and, over hundreds of years, stripped from the country, North and South. It is being regenerated. We have a Gaeltacht in the area in which I live. <BR /> <BR />It was in the context of violence and threat that the country was divided and partial independence was granted to the Twenty-six Counties. Following partition, the North saw the establishment of the sectarian state with a deliberate and consistent resistance to equality and respect. Instead, discrimination was enforced in legislation. The remnants of that are everywhere: our street names; our public buildings; our statues and monuments; the language that we speak; and the names of our public services. They are representative of the dominance of one tradition and the exclusion of another.”
“I thank the Member for his intervention, but I do not know how relevant it is.”
“Across the country, we still see the legacy of that in the loss of our native language, the imposition of place names and a state that is still owned by aristocrats.”
“It gives us a template to work within when delivering language rights, access to healthcare and public services, all contained within a bill of rights as recommitted to in 'NDNA'. <BR /> <BR />The Good Friday Agreement prioritised the protection and vindication of human rights for all and partnership, equality and mutual respect as the basis of relationships. FICT deals with symbolism, but, far from dismissing that as just semantics, we should acknowledge that symbols are the visual manifestation of the regard in which citizens are held. This statelet is contested territory. Sometime after Ireland was first colonised, when the land had all been acquired and the people all belittled, the process of anglicisation began in earnest.”
“The anniversary of the shameful partition of our country gave way to a debate about the appropriateness of a floating six counties made of stone, and, just this morning, we were told that Acht na Gaeilge will be blocked as long as an internationally agreed solution to Brexit on the island of Ireland remains in place. <BR /> <BR />We no longer live under majority rule. It is important that our public places welcome everyone. The days of marking territory and no-go areas need to be confined to history. This is a time of transition, something that was legislated for in the Good Friday Agreement. It is the Good Friday Agreement that provides us with the framework for equality going forward.”
“I support the motion and the amendment. I acknowledge that, to some, this might seem like quite a superficial conversation to have, given the year that we have had and the pandemic that we are all still living through. That said, we have had events in recent weeks that demonstrate just how important identity and respect for differences still are in the North of Ireland. <BR /> <BR />In the outworking of an anti-democratic Brexit, we have seen gangs of loyalist thugs march through our streets uninterrupted; paint-can soldiers threatening our hard-won peace through graffiti on walls; and pandering to paramilitaries from both broadcast media and political unionism.”
“I thank the Member for giving way. Does she agree that the Minister should also consider supporting those students who graduated last year either in June or in the period up to Christmas? They would have been taking exams and completing coursework but were still paying rent for accommodation that they were not able to stay in because of the restrictions.”
“Unlike the Member, I did not quote you, Mr Allister. I am intervening because you are all quoting me. Do the Members referring to things that I said in the House in June last year acknowledge that the British Secretary of State has already said that any decision that this House takes that is not in line with the recommendations of the CEDAW report will be overturned in the same way as Westminster legislated on this issue for this jurisdiction in the first place? Therefore, the conversation that we are having is totally without point. It will not change anything, and that is the rationale for our decision to abstain.”