Gerry Adams apologises for using the N-word in 'inappropriate' tweet

Gerry Adams has apologised for using the word n****r in a tweet.

After initially defending the use of the word by saying it was used in an “ironic” way to draw comparisons between the way Irish nationalists and African- Americans have been treated, the leader of Sinn Fein has now apologised for any offence.

Speaking at Connolly House in Belfast, the 67-year-old said: "I have acknowledged that the use of the n-word was inappropriate. That is why I deleted the tweet. I apologise for any offence caused.”

The republican said however that he stands by the “context and main point” of the tweet which was “the parallels between people in struggle”.

“Like African Americans, Irish nationalists were denied basic rights,” he said. “[…] This changed because we stood up for ourselves. We need to continue to do that.

“The civil rights movement here, of which I was a founding member, was inspired and based its approach on the civil rights campaign in the USA.

“I have long been inspired by Harriet Tubman; Frederick Douglas; Rosa Parks; Martin Luther King and Malcolm X who stood up for themselves and for justice.”

Adams received criticism after he sent a tweet to his 111,000 followers on Sunday evening while watching the Quentin Tarantino-directed film about an emancipated slave in the US. The tweet said: “Watching Django Unchained - A Ballymurphy N****r!”

He soon deleted the tweet and later issued a statement defending it, saying: “If anyone is genuinely offended by my use of the N-word they misunderstand or misrepresent the context in which it was used."