Gerry Adams defends tweet containing N-word and claims it was not racist

Gerry Adams has defended a tweet where he used a racially offensive word claiming the context of the tweet was misunderstood as he was attempting to draw comparisons with the way Irish nationalists and African Americans have been treated.

The leader of the Sinn Féin party received criticism after sending a tweet on Sunday night which used the word “n****r” while he was watching the 2012 film Django Unchained. The Quentin Tarantino-directed film documents an emancipated slave (played by Jamie Foxx) who embarks on a journey.

Mr Adams has now said his used of the word was “ironic” and quashed any suggestion of racism, instead proposing that nationalists in northern Ireland were treated in a similar manner to African-Americans in the US.

On Sunday night Mr Adams wrote to his 111,000 followers: “Watching Django Unchained – A Ballymurphy N****r!” Ballymurphy refers to the killing of 10 civilians by a British army Parachute regiment in 1971 in the Belfast area.

After many social media users criticised the tweet and decried the use of the word, Mr Adams deleted the tweet.

In a statement he said: “My tweets about the film Django have triggered a lot of interest, Anyone who has seen the film, as I did last evening, and who is familiar with the plight of nationalists in the north until recently, would know that my tweets about the film and the use of the N-word were ironic and not intended to cause any offence whatsoever.

“Attempts to suggest that I am a racist are without credibility. I am opposed to racism and have been all my life.

“The fact is that nationalists in the north, including those from Ballymurphy, were treated in much the same way as African Americans until we stood up for ourselves.

“If anyone is genuinely offended by my use of the N-word they misunderstand or misrepresent the context in which it was used. For this reason I deleted the tweets.”

The Independent has contacted a spokesperson for Mr Adams for comment.