Ms Angela Willis:

One measure relating to an increase in behaviours associated with anti-migration and anti-immigration sentiment is the number of protests there have been. In 2022, slightly more than 300 protests were recorded in the DMR alone. By 2023, that figure had increased by more than 100%, to 617 protests. That is an indication of an increase in anti-migration sentiments. As regards the online piece, one of the greatest challenges for us is the disinformation that is circulating online. As the Deputy stated, in the context of incitement people are being misled by information that is being circulated freely online. We engage with the companies involved but there are challenges for us. In the first instance, we need to serve a preservation order for the footage on the company. An associated legal process to obtain that footage must then be followed in order to use it as evidence in criminal proceedings. Ultimately, it is for the DPP to determine whether the evidence meets the criminal threshold and there is an opportunity to initiate a prosecution. That co-operation is there. The initial piece is we notify the platform that we have an interest in the footage and ask it to retain the footage for us, but then we have to come behind that with a legal framework, including a warrant and a mutual legal assistance-----