Sinn Fein MEP says she accidentally liked tweet calling Arlene Foster 'an orange c***'

'I had meant to scroll past the tweet and accidentally hit the like button,' says Lynn Boylan

DUP Leader Arlene Foster speaks to the media at Stormont Parliament in Belfast (PA)

A Sinn Fein MEP who liked an offensive and expletive tweet about DUP leader Arlene Foster has said she did so by accident.

The post compared the former Northern Ireland first minister to Donald Trump and labelled her "hateful, racist, bigoted" and "an orange c***".

Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan liked the tweet which claimed – mistakenly – Mrs Foster was to visit Scotland for an Orange Order parade marking the Twelfth, a protestant celebration held on July 12.

The tweet read: "So Arlene Foster is going to Scotland for the 12th next week, AND Donald Trump's heading there the same week? Typical, isn't it? You wait all year for a hateful, racist, bigoted Orange c*** and then two of them come along at once."

Ms Boylan has since deleted the like on her account and claimed it was not deliberate.

"This was an accidental like that was undone immediately,” she said. “I had meant to scroll past the tweet and accidentally hit the like button.

"The tweet was offensive, bigoted and sectarian and is not something that I would ever associate myself with.

"In fact, the tweet defies everything I stand for politically and what I spend every working day trying to root out of Irish politics."

A DUP spokesperson called on Ms Boylan to apologise publicly.

He said: “Abuse on social media should not go unchallenged no matter who it is directed towards.

"Lynn Boylan and Sinn Fein should publicly apologise. We hope Ms Boylan can explain her reasons behind endorsing vile abuse towards another elected representative, particularly towards the leader of the largest Unionist party.

"We hope this matter is dealt with robustly by Sinn Fein. "Respect and outreach to the Unionist community has fallen short once again."

The tweet referenced President Trump's planned visit to his golf course in Scotland on July 13. Mrs Foster attended the Battle of the Boyne march in Cowdenbeath last month but is not attending any events in Scotland on July 12.

Additional reporting by PA