DUP's Sammy Wilson calls for further clarification from Suella Braverman over claim 'terror-linked' Gaza rallies are reminiscent of Ulster

Sammy Wilson told the BBC that he didn't think Suella Braverman meant "all marches" in Northern Ireland when she said that some people organising pro-Palestine rallies in London on Saturday were linked to groups such as Hamas and said this was “disturbingly reminiscent of Ulster”.

Writing in The Times on pro-Gaza protests, the Home Secretary said: "I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza. They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland."

Mr Wilson said "there has been some clarification, for those who wanted to be mischievous, that she wasn't referring to orange marches". However, Mr Wilson said Braverman should give further clarification after a source close to the Home Secretary told the BBC that she was referring to dissident republicans. The East Antrim MP said "Of course there is no parallel at all between orange marches in Northern Ireland and some of the hateful marches we have seen across Great Britain in support of Hamas terrorists in the last number of weekends."

Braverman’s remarks have been criticised across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reports that Home Secretary and her team defied No 10 by ignoring some of their requested edits to her article.The paper reports that four sources have confirmed that some changes demanded by Downing Street in the Home Secretary’s article in The Times were not incorporated in the final version.Ordinarily, Downing Street signs off newspaper articles by ministers. The Daily Telegraph reports that this means, in effect, that Mrs Braverman and her team ignored specific requests from the Prime Minister’s team about the exact wording of her article.

Earlier, loyalist Jamie Bryson demanded an apology to the unionist community. He said it seemed clear that Mrs Braverman “meant to conjure up a comparison with IRA terrorist events, but the totally clumsy way she has written this makes it appear she is including the rich cultural marching band tradition”.

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “The Home Secretary should clarify, urgently.”

Mr Bryson said the loyal orders and marching band tradition have been equated with "terrorist hate marches" due to “the almost idiotic construction of the relevant paragraph” which “instead appeared to have in error encompassed unionist culture”.

He added: “It’s welcome it has been semi-corrected as a source close to the Home Secretary has publicly made clear she meant republicans, but given the article went out in her name, and such is the offence caused, Suella really ought to personally correct it and apologise to unionists.”

The Home Secretary has also sparked a fresh row within the Conservative Party by accusing police of "playing favourites" with pro-Palestinian protesters, with the claim slapped down by a Cabinet colleague.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls from opposition parties to sack Mrs Braverman over the "irresponsible" and "divisive" remarks which they say fan the risk of unrest on Armistice Day.

In a Times article, the Home Secretary said aggressive right-wing protesters are met with a stern response by officers while "pro-Palestinian mobs" are "largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law".

The former chief inspector of constabulary Sir Tom Winsor said Mrs Braverman's comment "crosses the line" by breaking the convention that a Home Secretary should not question the operational integrity of the police.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said that the "aggressive ignorance" makes the Home Secretary unfit for office.

The Foyle MP said “The Home Secretary’s comments in an article in The Times today are so far removed from reality that it is impossible to come to any determination other than she is deliberately stoking division to bolster her own brand among the Conservative Party’s right wing. It’s honestly like reading a pound shop Enoch Powell piece.

“The comments comparing the proposed Armistice Day protests against the appalling bombardment of civilians in Gaza with the marching tradition in Northern Ireland are an exercise in what can only be described as aggressive ignorance. Ignorance of the conditions faced by the civilian population in Gaza, ignorance of the role of the Met police, ignorance of the complex history and traditions of marching and protest in Northern Ireland. She has managed to offend just about everyone - no mean feat in a divided society.