THE Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont has been in contact with the PSNI over serial abuse suffered by members (MLAs). House speaker Edwin Poots has revealed that the devolved parliament has been taking the matter extremely seriously.
Speaking to BBC News NI last week, some Assembly members said that they had faced attacks on their offices, received death and rape threats, and in some instances experienced physical intimidation.
These issues have not been localised to Stormont, however. Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has been given dozens of messages of support over the barrage of abuse and intimidation she receives online.
Today, Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots praised MLAs who have chosen to speak out about the issue. Mr Poots himself was one of several members who spoke to the BBC’s ‘The View’ programme about his own experiences. He said the assembly commission was cooperating with police and the Electoral Commission over the matter.
“I would want to encourage members to ensure that they report any threats or harassment that they receive to the police,” he said. “It’s important that we’re going to recognise this problem of abuse and not accept it as the norm, which I know many of us have got used to.”
Several MLAs said that if they knew about the scale of abuse suffered by parliamentarians before standing, they might not have contested elections. Many are now considering leaving elected politics for good.
In response to the interviews given by Mr Poots and others, the PSNI released a statement today which ‘condemns and thoroughly investigates any reports of abuse, harassment or criminality directed towards our elected representatives’.
Chief Superintendent Stephen Murray said separately: “It is totally unacceptable that anyone should face such abuse simply for carrying out the duties of their office. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that all of our politicians are supported, and that they can undertake their role free from fear and intimidation.”
Ch Supt Murray said that the police were in regular engagement with elected representatives and wanted to emphasise that there was help and advice available on both personal safety and reducing the risk of future intimidation. The PSNI plans to hold an event in April to give practical support to MLAs.