The DUP veteran’s controversial remarks echo those of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The DUP East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson is a far-right creationist, racist, and homophobe. He joins a long list of far-right politicians and parties (the USA’s Donald Trump, Britain’s Nigel Farage, France’s Marine Le Pen, Germany’s AFD) across the globe who offer excuses for Vladimir Putin’s genocidal invasion of Ukraine. They all say Russia should not have started a war with Ukraine – and follow up with non-sequiturs opposing all effective solidarity proposals enabling the victim – an invaded state – to defend itself.

It is as if news emerged that an Orange Order member was torching the house of a gay man in Larne, throwing deadly molotov cocktails. The victim ended the attack by shooting the arsonist with a gun. Sympathisers and neighbours of the Orange Order arsonist said they did not condone the attempted house-burning, but the attacker was provoked by the fact that the houseowner was gay, and inquiries should be made, investigating if the gun was supplied by the terrorist IRA.