Unionist fury at Blair's bigotry remarks

Unionist politicians have reacted with fury to comments by British prime minister Tony Blair comparing Protestant bigotry with Islamic extremism.

Mr Blair, in a speech defending British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, told the Foreign Policy Centre in London on Tuesday: "There are those - perfectly decent-minded people - who say the extremists who commit these [ Islamic] acts of terrorism are not true Muslims. And of course, they are right.

"They are no more proper Muslims than the Protestant bigot who murders a Catholic in Northern Ireland is a proper Christian," he added.

"But unfortunately he is still a Protestant bigot. To say his religion is irrelevant is both completely to misunderstand his motive and to refuse to face up to the strain of extremism within his religion that has given rise to it."

The controversy featured strongly on news and radio and in political statements in Northern Ireland yesterday, with unionists decrying his remarks and some nationalists defending them.

The reaction triggered memories of the row caused by similar pronouncements by President Mary McAleese and Rev Alec Reid making connections between Nazism and unionism or Protestantism.

DUP Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr accused Mr Blair of a disgraceful "character assassination" of the Protestant community.

Ulster Unionist MLA Esmond Birnie said Mr Blair was losing "the plot" in making the link between Protestant bigotry and Islamic extremism.

Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan said unionists were guilty of a "hysterical reaction" to Mr Blair's remarks.