The Northern Ireland Minister for Justice said politicians need to consider what more can be done to eradicate and tackle sectarianism and misogyny in the region.
Naomi Long said a video showing a group of people mocking the murder of Michaela McArievy was a reminder of the “deep cancer of sectarianism” at the heart of Northern Ireland society.
The video, which appeared on social media on Friday, has received widespread condemnation from across Northern Ireland and beyond, as well as across the political spectrum.
Read more: James McClean labels people singing Michaela McArievy’s song “scum”
The leader of the Alliance Party said: “Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to think more broadly about the values we hold as a society, because when I saw the video, it is a reminder that there is a deep cancer of sectarianism in the heart of our society.
“We need to eradicate this, because this kind of bitterness and hatred really has no place in modern Northern Ireland, and we need to go beyond that and be our best selves, instead of constantly coming back to this kind of behavior or having this little minority who behaving in this way constantly dragging us back.
“I think we need to think as politicians what more we can do to try to deal with sectarianism and misogyny in our society.
“Obviously there is still a problem if relatively young people today are engaged in such a horrible violation of any kind of decency.
“I think that’s something we need to show leadership not just on one issue, but in the long run.”
Ms. McArievy, 27, was strangled in her room at the Legends Hotel in Mauritius on January 10, 2011.
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The teacher, who married John 10 days earlier, was attacked after she returned to her room alone and prevented a burglary.
No one has been convicted of killing the daughter of Gallic football manager Mickey Harte.
John and Michaela McArievy on their wedding day (Image: Irish News / PA Wire)
In the video on social networks, it seems that a number of men are singing about the murder.
The video is now the subject of a number of investigations, including by PSNI.
Ms Long said she spoke with Chief Police Officer Simon Byrne, who assured her that PSNI was reviewing the video to determine if any violations had been committed.
The video is widely condemned in the political landscape.
Ms Long said the video’s reaction was a reflection of how people were “sick to the core”.
“I think the mixture of sectarianism and misogyny in this video was a shock to many of us who have somehow hardened to these issues because we have rarely seen anything so disgusting,” she told the BBC’s NI Sunday Political Show.
She added: “It was not a one-off, it was not a man who said something that no one else had heard.
“This is a room full of people and many of them sang a song that they knew the words clearly and that they had sung before.
“I think the idea that this is happening, if you will, behind closed doors for some time, has really terrified people.
“I think this is something, from my point of view (this) it certainly shocked me and there seemed to be no one, certainly not in this video, to intervene to stop it, which again raises questions about how routine this behavior is. is
Michaela was only 27 when she was killed
“We’ve seen it before in other circumstances, but I just think that making fun of people who are dead is a really low point in the way we interact with each other.
“Unfortunately, I think it overshadowed what was generally a very positive period for Northern Ireland in terms of all the other things that were happening over the weekend. All the positive participation of the community. “
It was confirmed on Saturday that the Arma, Banbridge and Craigavon City Council has launched an internal investigation into the alleged involvement of an employee in the video.
The council said it would take the issue “with the utmost seriousness”.
Hours after the video surfaced, two men apologized for their involvement, while Linfield Football Club fired a club volunteer allegedly involved in the video.
The construction company Norman Emerson Group also issued a statement saying it was investigating the alleged involvement of an employee and said a “full and thorough internal investigation” was under way.
Orange Order said an investigation into the video has begun.
Read more: John McArievy says “hatred can hurt, but never win” after Michaela’s video
Read more: The fire service issued a statement on the video of Michaela McArievy
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