President apologises for Protestant hatred comments

President Mary McAleese has expressed her devastation at the controversy surrounding the remarks she made about Northern Protestants.

The President has incensed the Unionist community after comparing Nazi prejudice towards Jews to the hatred of Catholics by Protestants in Northern Ireland.

The Orange Order has cancelled a planned meeting at Aras an Uachtarain in the wake of the row.

Speaking tonight Ms McAleese has said that she is deeply sorry and that her point was clumsily made.

She went on to say that there was sectarianism on both sides of the community and that she should have included the hatred of Protestants by Catholics in the example she used.

An Orange Order spokeswoman welcomed the apology, but said it was too early to reconsider a decision to cancel a meeting with the President.

The organisation was due to meet her on March 8 to discuss the concerns of its members in the Republic of Ireland.

“We are glad that she has responded so quickly. At our headquarters we have had more calls on this than most other things over the last few years. Her comments have pushed a lot of buttons in the north,” the spokeswoman said.

“Mary McAleese has done a lot to build bridges but just one thing can do a lot to destroy that. We welcome that so quickly she came out and apologised.”

The spokeswoman added that the Order was not interested in knee jerk reactions to the apology.