I support today's motion in order to tell those people from ethnic minority communities who now live in Northern Ireland that they are valued, that this is their home as much as anyone else's and that we will endorse and support the rebuilding that now has to be done. Let me be clear: that rebuilding goes well beyond the clear-up of destroyed properties and even beyond the restoration of vital businesses. It requires action from political leaders and the rebuilding of trust.

There are people who have chosen to make Northern Ireland their home and to contribute to this society who now feel hurt, fearful and isolated. They need reassurance, and we are here today to provide them with that support, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or community background. I support Steve Aiken's point about adding anti-Semitism, because hate is hate.

I will quickly get to the substantive parts of the motion. In the racial equality strategy 2015-2025, there was a commitment to review the race relations order, which is now 27 years old and entirely out of date. The consultation on the draft order concluded in June 2023, which was 14 months ago, yet the official line from the Executive Office is that the report on the responses and feedback is under review and that it aims to bring forward updated race relations legislation in 2025-26. Given that its purpose is to provide the best possible legal protections against racism and to move towards a more equal society, and given that it would include provisions for advancing long-awaited ethnic equality monitoring, I would like to hear from the First Minister whether there is any way that it could be brought forward sooner as per the motion.

I will turn to the racial equality strategy, which is needed in order to address issues that, sadly, remain current and evermore urgent, such as tackling race hate crimes and racist bullying in our schools and ensuring fair employment. The current version was drafted a decade ago, and that makes it rather outdated, given how much things have changed in that time — many, sadly, for the worse. I would like the First Minister to outline what work is taking place in her Department in order to ensure that there is a seamless transition between the current strategy and the next. I would also like to hear a commitment that such a strategy will be developed with the community and voluntary sector and that it will be far-reaching and adequately funded for maximum impact.

I will turn to the refugee integration strategy. It is almost 20 years since OFMDFM first committed to it. The current iteration was consulted on in late 2021 and early 2022 and was meant to run from 2022 to 2027. However, due to the political impasse, it has been significantly delayed. It was the understanding of the Committee for the Executive Office that it should have been signed off in May 2024. However, TEO's official position remains that the revised draft strategy and associated thematic delivery plans will be brought before the Executive "in due course". I would like to hear a firm date for that from the First Minister today.

As I said in my opening remarks, we now need to see a period of rebuilding. As we see that begin, we must reflect on the vital work of a sector that has for far too long been undervalued. When destruction of this nature arises, we see community groups and voluntary organisations being prominent with their response. They offer immediate assistance with the clean-ups, offer support and advice for those impacted on and continue to act as a consistent voice against racism and division. I pay particular tribute to the Belfast Islamic Centre, the Northern Ireland Muslim Family Association and the many other ethnic minority groups operating in South Belfast for their tireless efforts in the past week to support the people who have been impacted on by the attacks.

At least three PSNI officers have been injured in the line of duty in the past week. We must never normalise that, and I give thanks for their service, especially the front-line officers who have been on duty in South Belfast in the past week.

This is a moment for cohesion in the Chamber and for us to speak with a common voice. We all recognise that there is a lot of work to get on with, particularly to reassure every member of our community that they are valued and that their interests will be protected and promoted on an equal basis. We are saying today that if you attack one member of our community, regardless of their creed or colour, you attack all members of our community, and it is on that basis that we will start rebuilding.