Women’s rights activists and an Independent TD have welcomed a decision by the PSNI in Northern Ireland to withdraw from wearing uniform at LGBT Pride events, and called on an Garda Síochana to follow suit.
Campaign group, Women’s Space Ireland, and Independent TD, Carol Nolan, both said that it was important for Gardaí not to be seen explicitly supporting or identifying with an ideology or a political lobby.
Last week, the PSNI said that members could no longer take part in the parade while wearing their uniforms – a reversal of the policy which held sway for the last 6 years.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said he was aware “this decision will come as a disappointment to some”, but added:
“As a police service, we have had to carefully consider this request from our LGBT+ Network on its merits, the stated purposes and circumstances surrounding the parade and our statutory obligations to act with fairness, integrity and impartiality, whilst upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all individuals, their traditions and beliefs.”
Belfast City Council representative Ron McDowell said that the police force was bound by Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act to encourage good relations between different groups within society – but that its impartiality was being questioned when it took part in the parade.
The Belfast Newsletter reported that
Police service policy on ‘off duty standards’ and the Code of Ethics, create clear expectations for all officers and staff in terms of impartiality – prohibiting officers from wearing their uniform, or being identifiable as police employees, when engaging in what the PSNI describes as “cause issues”
The force has faced criticism in recent years for permitting a PSNI delegation, in uniform, to walk in support of a cause that utilises “political” messaging – including successfully lobbying for changes to the laws around same-sex marriage. PSNI officers first walked in the parade in uniform in 2017.
The PSNI insisted the theme of this year’s parade, ‘Stand Up For Your Trans’, had nothing to do with the decision.
While some politicians in Northern Ireland welcomed the decision, with the TUV saying the PSNI should never have been marching in uniform, others strongly disagreed.
Welcoming decision by PSNI to ban uniformed officers marching in Belfast Pride – @RonMcDowellTUV says "this is a mess of the PSNI's own making – they should never have been in the parade in the first place"
Podcast 📲 @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/VgbSutEqno
— Stephen Nolan (@StephenNolan) July 17, 2023
However, Eoin Tennyson of the Alliance party slammed the PSNI over what he called a “disgraceful” and “backwards” decision to ban uniformed officers from the march – and urged the Chief Constable to revisit the decision.
Alliance MLA @EoinTennyson slams PSNI over "disgraceful" and "backwards" decision to ban uniformed officers in Belfast Pride – and urges the Chief Constable to revisit the decision
Podcast 📲 @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/X4mBSNS0pn
— The Nolan Show, BBC (@BBCNolan) July 17, 2023
Campaign group Women’s Space Ireland said that it was “critical that our police force shows no favouritism to a lobby which includes Transactivism given its threats to women’s rights.”
“Gardai need to follow [the] PSNI in showing no favour to a political lobby,” the stated.
They pointed to the protection recently afforded by the PSNI to women’s rights activist in Belfast when a speaking event was protested by trans activists – with some comments on social media contrasting that to a proposed Dublin event which was cancelled as it was felt that Gardaí, who were stretched with the visit of US President Joe Biden, could not guarantee the women’s safety
"Assistant chief constable Bobby Singleton said he understood the decision would be disappointing for some, but added that the PSNI had 'statutory obligations to act with fairness, integrity and impartiality'."
Well done to the PSNI@NIOgov @HMcEntee https://t.co/g2bWLp4fYC
— Women's Space Ireland (@WomensSpaceIre) July 16, 2023
Referring to the PSNI statement, the women’s rights group said: “Its a very welcome decision by the PSNI: policing needs to be seen to be done without favour to any political grouping”.
Carol Nolan, the Independent TD for Laois Offaly, also welcomed the PSNI decision.
“The decision by the PSNI to distance itself in this way is to be welcomed. Indeed, refusing to explicitly identify with the objectives of organisations or activists with a clear political agenda should be a given for any police force especially those where activists have shown scant regard for the safety of women. Unfortunately it is no longer a given,” she said.
“In fact, I have been speaking to many people who have real concerns that our own Gardai, and I am talking here about those at the senior level, have essentially been captured by the woke ideology,” Deputy Nolan continued.
“The fear is that senior gardaí have become to some extent, enthusiastic enforcers of a new and highly toxic political regime. We saw this in April when the Garda Commissioner was forced to withdraw a frankly ridiculous gender pronoun policy that was being introduced with disciplinary threats attached. The rank and file Gardai had more sense and rejected it outright,” she said.
“We also see it in the hate speech legislation. Why are we going to waste their precious time investigating incidents that in the vast, vast, majority of cases could not even remotely be considered ‘crimes.’
Gardai at senior levels must work to maintain the trust of the entire community. They are not there to show institutional favouritism to any segment of society,” the Independent TD added.
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