Stormont session descends into row amid claim witness was ‘personally attacked’

A victims campaigner received an apology from a Stormont committee chairwoman for being “personally attacked” during an evidence session on Wednesday.

A meeting of the Committee for the Executive Office on a strategy for victims and survivors of the Troubles led to allegations of “misogyny” and “misandry” being exchanged between MLAs over the questioning of Andree Murphy.

Ms Murphy is deputy director at Relatives for Justice, a victim support NGO (non-governmental organisation) that provides support services to people bereaved and injured in the Troubles.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston asked Ms Murphy what her “definition of a civilian is” in reference to civilian bereaved families.

Ms Murphy said: “You need to look at the definition of victims as all those grieved and all those injured, and we absolutely think that’s very useful.”

She added that everyone will “have different opinions about a contested conflict”.

“We need to ensure that we can include all families, and we can include all of those griefs so that we can move forward,” she said.

Mr Gaston replied: “From a moral point of view, there should be no moral equivalence between a victim maker and an innocent victim.”

Ms Murphy said that “victim makers” can “reside in lots of places”.

“So we could think about the policy makers who devised collusion, and we could say who were the policymakers there, were they the victim makers?” she said.

“And they’re often given gongs, or they become ‘sir this’, or ‘dame that’ or whatever and we see that it’s a very contested area.

“But when we’re talking about supporting victims and survivors to ensure that we can move on as society, sure we can hold our opinions about the past, and we’ll all have different opinions about that, but in order for all of us to move forward, the definition of victims is really useful and allows us to be able to do the most we can for the greatest number of people.”

Mr Gaston claimed Ms Murphy’s response was an attempt to “hide behind and sanitise the terror campaign that took place between the IRA and other paramilitary groups”.

DUP MLA Phillip Brett later read a quote from a piece written by Ms Murphy describing “the disruptors, the protesters, those who refused to be bought” and asked if she believed “the current victims commissioner has been bought”.

Ms Murphy said she felt the question was “inappropriate”, later adding “I think that we all have to ensure that we scrutinise all of the officers in all of the commissions to ensure that they are operating in line with where the victims and survivors that they’re meant to represent are placed in their advocacy and I think that’s a fair comment.”

Mr Brett then raised another article written by Ms Murphy which he described as “grossly inappropriate”, written just after the inauguration of Irish President Catherine Connolly.

In the 2025 article Ms Murphy said the actions “of the DUP and the Orange Order this week tell of a unique local psychosis of being at once deeply insecure and at the same time incredible (sic) arrogant. How lovely to have a homegrown disorder”.

Mr Brett put to Ms Murphy: “I’m a member of the Democratic Unionist Party and of the Orange Order. I just want to make clear I don’t have any disorder.”

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin ended her questions by apologising to the victims campaigner as did committee chairwoman Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong.

Ms Armstrong said: “Thank you all. I do appreciate it’s very difficult, especially whenever you’re being personally attacked Andree, but I think that your contributions today are all very valuable.”

Sinn Fein MLA Caral Ni Chuilin said people giving evidence to the committee “can’t be abused”.

“It needs to be sorted. It’s just getting ridiculous,” she said.

Mr Gaston then said: “You’re looking at me Caral”, to which Ms Ni Chuilin replied: “Because you’re the worst, Phillip’s not too far behind you.”

The TUV MLA expressed that he felt his comments were “quite balanced” with the Sinn Fein MLA responding: “I think the comments that you made, particularly about Andree hiding behind things, were very akin to those made about Pat Finucane at Westminster by DUP members and others and I just think it needs to stop.”

Mr Brett then added: “(Ms Murphy) represents victims, last time I checked, I fall under the definition of a victim, and she made clear that apparently I have a disorder.

“So I was just trying to work that out. She could have chose to answer or not answer, but I wasn’t rude or aggressive.”

Ms Ni Chuilin replied: “It was the same with Michelle O’Neill, and you are misogynists frankly.”

Mr Brett said the claim of misogyny was “downright lies” and Mr Gaston said he had been “been victim to the First Minister on a number of occasions”.

He added: “I honestly think that they have a problem with men, misandry, so I throw that right back at you, Caral.”

Ms Armstrong then moved the meeting on saying: “Listen, today Troublesis about victims and survivors of the Troubles.

“And I think we have to be very cognisant that there will be people watching online, and this is not the way that we should be presenting ourselves.”