US Catholic priest and pro-Irish unity lobbyist compares Protestants to 'white supremacists' as he makes swipe at the DUP

​The leader of an Irish-American lobby group has likened Northern Irish Protestants to “white supremacists”.
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By Adam Kula
Published 29th May 2023, 17:15 BST
Updated 29th May 2023, 17:33 BST

Father Sean McManus, a Catholic priest who heads up the Washington DC-based Irish National Caucus, made the comments on Twitter on Monday.

Ian Paisley has dismissed the comments as “intolerant” and “inflammatory”.

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The Irsh National Caucus, officially founded in 1978, says it is “a human rights organization dedicated to getting the United States to stand up for justice and peace in Ireland”.

It further adds that it is “non-violent, non-partisan, and non-sectarian”.

It claims some 27 members of Congress as members of its affiliate, The Congressional Friends of the Irish National Caucus: 24 Democrats (including significant players like Chuck Schumer and Richard Neal) and three Republicans.

Father McManus himself was born in Fermanagh, and had a brother – Patrick – in the IRA.

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On Monday he re-tweeted an Irish News editorial about the DUP and the restoration of Stormont, then typed out his own message: “I add this thought: just as the American white insurrectionists saw white supremacy slip away, Protestants in Northern Ireland see Protestant supremacy slip away, but with this ironic difference: the white supremacists occupied The Capitol, and the Protestant supremacists vacated their ‘Capitol,’ Stormont.”

The KKK burning a cross at a rally in 1925; Father Sean McManus; and the logo of the DUPThe KKK burning a cross at a rally in 1925; Father Sean McManus; and the logo of the DUP
The KKK burning a cross at a rally in 1925; Father Sean McManus; and the logo of the DUP

Whilst the phrase “Protestant supremacists” is an obvious swipe at the DUP, it is not 100% clear what he means when he talks of people occupying The Capitol – although it is likely a reference to the disorder of January 6, 2021 in Washington, when thousands of Donald Trump supporters (spurred on by his claims that he “won this election by a lot”) overwhelmed security at the Capitol Building and swarmed inside.

Asked about Father McManus’ remarks, DUP MP Ian Paisley said: “I think those comments are inflammatory. If they were issued by any serious politician in Northern Ireland, they’d probably find they’re guilty of hate speech.

"Such comments are intolerable, but reveal maybe the intolerant mind of the person who made them.”

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