12 February 2026
SDLP Executive Office Committee member Sinéad McLaughlin MLA has said the First and deputy First Ministers cannot override the wishes of victims.
She was speaking after it emerged Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly had approved a change in the wording on a memorial plaque for victims and survivors of historical and institutional abuse to remove references to “the state”.
It has been agreed the plaque will feature its original wording and it is due to be unveiled at Stormont next week.
Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin said:
“This was a tone-deaf and unnecessary intervention by the First and deputy First Ministers that has rightly angered victims and survivors. They should urgently clarify why this proposal was brought forward and who was the driving force behind it.
“Those who suffered historical and institutional abuse have waited many years for this formal recognition and it’s deeply regrettable that they had to threaten to boycott next week’s event to have the original wording reinstated.
“This attempt to remove references to ‘the state’ from this plaque shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what victims and survivors went through. They were subject to some of the most harrowing ordeals imaginable, and it was ‘the state’ who failed to protect them. To try and remove that is to deny what they went through.
“The SDLP has stood with victims and survivors from the very start of this long and painful journey. I will be proud to stand beside them next week at Stormont as this plaque is unveiled and I hope this recognition will provide some small comfort after all these years.”