Pro-IRA chant video with Arlene Foster condemned

A video in which a woman shouts a pro-IRA chant while posing alongside Dame Arlene Foster has been condemned.

The footage, which emerged over the weekend, was taken at the Local Women Business Awards on Saturday.

In the video, the woman poses for a selfie with the former first minister before starting to chant "Up the Ra!"

Speaking on GB News, Mrs Foster said: "This lady came up to me and shouts 'ooh aah up the Ra' as if it's some culturally cool thing to do. It's not."

Dame Arlene was eight when the IRA attempted to kill her father, a reserve police officer, outside the family home.

In 1988, when Dame Arlene was a teenager, the IRA set off a bomb on the school bus she was on.

Ms Foster said: "The worry for me is that it's so disappointing that a young person should think that's acceptable in society."

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Phillip Brett told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show he was "angry and disappointed".

"For Arlene, and for victims across Northern Ireland who have suffered so much," he said.

"For someone to think it appropriate to come up to them to chant in their face the name of the organisation that tried to murder her father, the name of the organisation that tried to blow up her school bus is frankly beyond the pale."

He said the former DUP leader had expressed a desire to explain to the woman how the chant had affected her.

Kim Kelly, editor of Local Women Magazine, said she was appalled by the conduct of the woman responsible for the video and the matter would be investigated.

The event was held at a Belfast hotel.

"There were 540 guests at the event from all sections of the community and we are horrified at any distress this incident has caused," she said.

"We can say with certainty that the guest or guests responsible, if indeed they were guests, will no longer be welcome at any of our events."

Ms Kelly said the magazine had previously worked with Dame Arlene.

"Arlene had been taking selfies with a lot of people before the ceremony, she is great with that, and I can remember this woman hovering around but I walked away and didn't see this happen.

"Arlene didn't even mention it to me. She has attended events in the past but unfortunately this seems to just be a day in the life for her."

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long called on people to "grow up".

"I'm just utterly sick and tired of the constant drive to hurt and offend.

"We are better than this, surely?"

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he was "sick of this nonsense".

"Why do this? Can we not disagree decently? It serves no cause or community," he added.

Ulster Unionist Party assembly member Robbie Butler said he was particularly saddened because the majority of those responsible for "causing offence and deliberately causing hurt" had not grown up during "the evil, dark, destructive days they glorify".