Comedian Paddy Rafferty defends role in LAD as complaint made to BBC NI

Comedian Paddy Rafferty has said his role with the defunct LAD social media parody accounts was purely as a contributor.
Entertainer Paddy RaffEntertainer Paddy Raff
Entertainer Paddy Raff

A Sunday paper ran an interview with founder John-Paul Whearty, who says he left LAD (Loyalists Against Democracy) four years ago, claiming the popular Belfast funnyman was one of the central administrators of the group.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson accused the site of being an “abusive online trolling outlet” targeting Protestants.

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He has written to the BBC expressing the concerns of the PUL community at the allegation that a BBC commissioned presenter is – or was – engaged in targeted sectarian harassment of one section of society.

Mr Rafferty, whose TV debut came in the recent Paddy Raff Show on BBC NI, has defended his role with LAD on Twitter.

He wrote: “I wanted to briefly clear up a story involving me which circulated in the media today.

“Before I started my career in stand-up comedy in early 2018, I was for a time one of the contributors to the LAD Facebook page.

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“My contributions were comedy content including jokes, memes & parody songs (eg ‘Broadway Girl’, ‘The Fresh Prince Of Belfast’, ‘We Didn’t Start The Riot’, ‘New Lodge, New Lodge’) comedy/satire often liked and shared by all sides of the community.

“I was in no way involved in the creation/setting up of LAD, not did I take charge when the creator left in 2016.

“There were a number of contributors to LAD at any given time and I had no editorial oversight of its output.

“I concluded my involvement in LAD in 2017 and have made no contributions since.”

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BBC NI would not comment on Mr Rafferty’s links with the LAD website when asked on Sunday.

In a letter to Peter Johnston, director of BBC NI, Jamie Bryson wrote: “The prima-facie allegation in this instance is that someone endorsed by the BBC has engaged in a very public, targeted and persistent anti-unionist sectarian hate campaign. I cannot, for even one moment, imagine the BBC would endorse such alleged behaviour if it had been directed at the Muslim, Romanian, Polish or Irish community.”