Quashing of complaint against MLA over 'Palestinian resistance' remark is dubbed 'inexplicable' by TUV given the sanctions faced by other politicians

The People Before Profit MLA had tweeted out “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance” followed by two closed fist symbols at 9.19am that morning – a tweet that remains up today.

At day at about 6.30am Israeli time (GMT +3) on October 7 Hamas had launched “Operation Al Aqsa Flood”, pouring into Israel and killing about 1,400 people, largely civilians.

The Stormont standards commissioner reported that “Mr Carroll stated that the tweet was related to the images of civil disobedience that he was seeing at that time, which he said was of Palestinian people breaking down fences in Gaza… he stated that he had no knowledge, at that time, of the attacks on innocent civilians that occurred on that day”.

See full explanation for the ruling here:

• Complaint about MLA's 'victory to the Palestinian resistance' post on day of Hamas massacre is rejected by Stormont standards body

And more on the NI / RoI reaction to the Middle East carnage here:

• Nigel Dodds criticises motion from Sinn Fein that laments toll on civilian life and property from Israeli bombs

• Irish parliament is told by People Before Profit TD: 'Israel has no right to defend itself - only Palestinians have that right'

• WATCH: 'Send in your own SWAT teams - you are good at heavy-handed stuff!' Bad-tempered exchange on floor of Irish parliament over Sinn Fein 'posturing' on Israel and Palestine

• DUP calls the boycott Israel movement 'extremist' as efforts under way to pressure Dunnes Stores and SuperValu to pull all Israeli goods from shelves

Mr Carroll has said that the complaint about a comment he made on the day of the Hamas massacre was motivated by “regressive political forces” and that he would “refuse to be silent” on the issue.

Commenting on the decision a TUV spokesperson said:

“Mr Carroll would have known within a relatively short time of his tweet being posted of the horror which Hamas was inflicting on southern Israel.

"Certainly there is no question today that what happened on that day was a rampage characterised by the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, rape, kidnap and destruction.

"Yet the tweet posted that day – ‘Victory to the Palestinian Resistance’ – remains online to this day.

“When one considers that councillors have been suspended for relatively minor transgressions on social media, it is hard to understand how an MLA doesn’t even get a rap on the knuckles for such a disgusting tweet.”

Though the TUV mentioned no names, it is understood the reference to “relatively minor transgressions” is about – among other cases – Michelle O’Neill’s libel pursuit of ex-DUP councillor John Carson.

Councillor Carson had mentioned on Facebook that he hoped a new DUP leader would put Mrs O’Neill “back in her kennel”.

After years of court action, a High Court judge ruled last week that this comment was not defamatory because the apologetic Mr Carson (who has since left the DUP) had such a low profile relative to Ms O’Neill.

However, both he and Ms O’Neill were stuck with their respective costs for the case, amounting to about £13,000 each.

As a result, Mr Carson could now lose his house.

As for residents of Gaza, the dire humanitarian situation continues.

The Gazan ministry of health stopped reporting on the death toll there several days ago; at that time it was just over 11,000, with another 3,640 people missing (including 1,770 children), presumably entombed in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

In addition, 25 hospitals are out of action, 70% of Gazans have fled their homes, and 41,000 homes have been destroyed.

There have been at least 53 Israeli military personnel killed.