 Nic an Bhaird is a native speaker of Irish and attending Belfast's Irish language secondary school, Coláiste Feirste, where she was taught by Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún.Irish-language organisations, including Na Gaeil Óga ("the Young Gaels") of which Nic an Bhaird is a member, have condemned her case as victimisation based on language, and have charged that she was assaulted by the arresting PSNI officer.She claimed police demanded she speak English before releasing her from custody after her arrest.