Irish-speaking protester faces unjust treatment by Belfast police

The Police Ombudsman in the North of Ireland has ruled that police failed in their duties when arresting a woman at a pro-Palestine protest in Belfast. Máire Mhic an Fhailí spoke to police in Irish after she was stopped for wearing a Palestine Action t-shirt in August 2025. When asked for her name and address, Mhic an Fhailí provided the information in Irish. Notably, Irish is an official language in the Six Counties.

Other protesters were also stopped by the cops for wearing the same t-shirt, but were allowed to go free after giving their details in English.

After some back and forth, police arrested the 74 year old grandmother and bundled her into the back of a police van. The police gave the reason for arrest as a breach of anti-terror laws. However, the fact that others wearing the same ‘offending’ t-shirt were let go is remarkable. Mhic an Fhailí was arrested, which meant she was targeted for speaking Irish. Amnesty International branded the arrest as “outrageous.”

The Irish News reports that the arresting officer:

…likely fell short of expectations set out for officers in the PSNI Code of Ethics.

The code, which is currently being revised, stipulates that officers must:

…discharge the duties of the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all individuals and their traditions and beliefs…

Happy to get a taser out, but not a phone

Neither fairness nor impartiality were shown to the activist in this instance. The Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) code also states that detained persons have a right to “interpretation and translation services”.

Almost everyone will by now have had the experience of stopping to assist someone whose language is not the same as our own. The normal thing to do is to access through our phones translation applications to communicate. Moreover, we do this despite having no statutory requirement.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), in contrast, are now bound by such a responsibility. Yet it was apparently too much trouble to swipe on their mobile to avoid needless arrest, and the subsequent lengthy ombudsman investigation. Clearly they display more hesitance when reaching for a phone than for a taser.

Mhic an Fhailí herself pointed out that the matter ought never have got to the ombudsman stage:

We shouldn’t still be fighting for the right to give any details in Irish. That should be a given now. We shouldn’t be at the point where we’re still having to go to the ombudsman and wait on the ombudsman to decide whether the police are in the right or the wrong.

The officer in question will now face “performance procedures”, a form of disciplinary action. However, the problem clearly cannot be whitewashed by blaming one individual. Numerous officers were present at the arrest and all failed to handled the matter correctly.

Ombudsman ruling welcome, but misses the point

The Police Ombudsman found that the behaviour of the officers:

likely fell short of expectations set out for officers in the PSNI Code of Ethics.

The Canary was present on the day and observed this first hand. However, the ombudsman’s other rulings don’t correlate with the facts. These include the decision that the West Belfast woman was not “treated differently than others because she spoke Irish”. As outlined above, clearly she was.

The ombudsman also found:

…no misconduct regarding her other complaints that an older officer escalated the situation because she spoke Irish…

This is false. A younger officer was still attempting to get Mhic an Fhailí to answer in English, before an older officer stepped in and proceeded with arrest. This was clearly an escalation, and stemmed from speaking in Irish. The ombudsman also found it was not the case that:

…police failed to consider potential disabilities.

Again this was not the case, as the arrest was carried out with insufficient care given the arrestee’s age, as footage shows.

Police have featured in similar shameful scenes in England as they cage frail people at peaceful pro-Palestine Action demonstrations in England. Mhic an Fhailí remains the only person the PSNI have arrested in Ireland for supporting Palestine Action. However, they have travelled to England to assist in pro-holocaust policing.

Nonetheless, the ombudsman ruling comes at a significant time. It comes a day after the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 comes into full effect. Consequently, it means public bodies must ensure services are accessible to Irish speakers.

The solicitor who took the case to the ombudsman, Kevin Winters, said:

This decision puts a marker down for PSNI acceptance and respect for the Irish language. We ought never again to witness such an unacceptable policing response to a citizen’s absolute entitlement to speak in Irish.

So in future, when you’re being dragged off by the cops for whatever the latest thought-crime is, at least perhaps they’ll do so in a culturally sensitive way.

Featured image via Irish News