Widespread support for Dame Arlene Foster after 'up the Ra' selfie incident

A video of the incident was posted online following the Local Women Magazine’s annual awards ceremony held at the Europa hotel on Saturday and has been widely circulated.

It shows the former DUP leader being filmed alongside a female who sings ‘ooh ah, up the Ra,’ before Mrs Foster is seen showing her disappointment.

Dame Arlene told the News Letter that the woman came up to her at the start of the ceremony and claimed to be from republican Crossmaglen, but said that she was an admirer of the former first minister and asked to pose with her.

In response to the incident, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: “The IRA shot Arlene’s father. Why do this? Can we not disagree decently? I’m so sick of this nonsense. It’s serves no cause or community and just divide us further.”

TUV leader Jim Allister tweeted: “What a disgusting, hateful and aggressive mentality Sinn Féin’s glorification of the IRA has created among republican youth.”

Also on Twitter, Alliance MLA Sorcha Eastwood said: “In a week where "kill all taigs" was scrawled beside an Irish language poster, a person singing "up the ra" to Arlene Foster – it is both disgusting & depressing. But these people aren't representative of this place. Ignorant louts want to take us down to their level. Well, we won't.

In a statement, DUP North Belfast MLA Philip Brett said: "It’s time there was a proper conversation as to why we have seen an upsurge of incidents where people seek to glorify the IRA.

"That conversation needs to take place primarily within nationalism. Sinn Fein must accept that their attempt to blur the rights and wrongs of the past is perpetuating it today."

The young woman involved appears to have no regrets about her actions and, on Monday morning, retweeted a number of messages attacking Mrs Foster – including one branding her a “snowflake” for being offended.