Speaking at an Easter commemoration in Castlewellan yesterday, she said: "There are also 355 republican activists on the roll of honour. These men and women are victims of the conflict too.
"Most of them were IRA volunteers who were killed in acti
on.
"We grieve for them and we share that grief and sense of loss with their families and friends. They were decent, selfless and honourable."
DUP MP William McCrea said he totally rejected Ms de Brun's comments which would anger not only unionists, but all right-minded people.
He said: "There is no comparison between the innocent victims of terrorism and those who went out under the cover of darkness and terrorised men, women and children right across Northern Ireland.
"Those who Ms de Brun describes as being on 'active service' were not soldiers, they were cowardly terrorists who murdered innocent people in the dead of night.
"There is nothing honourable about a cowardly murderer.
"I would challenge Ms de Brun to explain where the honourable role was in the men who tried to murder me and my family at home one Sabbath evening."
He said the Sinn Fein MEP's comments also appeared to be at variance with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness's recent condemnation of those who carried out the murders of two soldiers in his constituency and a policeman in Craigavon as "traitors".
The South Antrim MP said: "The DUP has forced republicans to abandon their long-held beliefs regarding policing and the rule of law.
However, the comments from de Brun indicate that there are some republicans who have a very considerable distance to travel before they can command the confidence of the entire community.
"There is no room in society for the glorification of terrorism."
He said Ms de Brun's comments revealed her true feelings and said if she topped the poll in the forthcoming European election she would use her position to peddle pro-republican views in Brussels.
"We have always been aware of de Brun's greener-than-green credentials.
"This is only a snippet of how she would behave if she was to top the poll in the forthcoming European election.
"Undoubtedly she would use this as a licence to strut the world stage and spread her republican propaganda.
"Regardless of the united-Ireland spin propagated by de Brun, the fact remains that republicans' strategy has failed.
"They sit as ministers of the Crown in a devolved Assembly at Stormont where the Queen signs off on the legislation produced by Sinn Fein ministers."
