Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed that they are investigating comments made by DUP councillor Colin Kennedy linking the LGBTQ+ community to support for military group Hamas as a “hate incident”.

The DUP councillor made the anti-LGBTQ+ remarks during a debate on the Hamas-Israel conflict that took place at a meeting of ARDS and North Down Borough Council on Wednesday, October 26. Councillors were debating a DUP motion to condemn Hamas’s attack on Israel.

Addressing the meeting in a five-minute-long speech, Kennedy said: “Do not be surprised when those who enthusiastically endorse the LGBTQIA alphabet soup agenda in the West are the very same people who are now seeking to defend Hamas.”

The comments sparked outrage among other councillors, causing some to leave the chamber in response. Alliance councillor Hannah Irwin urged Kennedy to retract his statement, saying: “As a member of the LGBTQ community I feel pretty personally offended by it”.

A spokesperson for the Alliance Party said they were all “disgusted” by Kennedy’s comments, adding that “any mainstream party anywhere else in these islands would have suspended this councillor by now.”

An official statement by the PSNI confirmed that they are investigating a “report of offensive comments during a council meeting in Bangor” and that the matter is “being treated as a hate incident”.

The investigation started after Independent councillor Ray McKimm told the BBC that he would make a complaint against Kennedy over his comments linking the LGBTQ+ community to support for Hamas and against the council for how they handled the matter.

DUP councillor Colin Kennedy is asked by Alliance councillor Hannah Irwin to retract comments linking the LGBT community to support for Hamas. The DUP mayor chairing the meeting defends Mr Kennedy’s chance to speak.

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— Brendan Hughes (@brendanhughes64) October 26, 2023

The remarks come at a time when people all over the world, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, with marches in major cities around the globe seeing thousands of people in attendance. According to the latest figures provided by Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 8,300 people in the area have been killed during the conflict.

The violence in Gaza escalated after Hamas fighters launched an attack against Israel on October 7, killing over 1,400 people and taking around 200 others as hostages. In response, the Israeli government launched a multitude of air strikes against Gaza that killed thousands of people and also cut off deliveries of food, water, fuel and medical supplies. The entire population in Gaza faces food shortages as the destruction caused by the bombings has severely disrupted supply chains.

On Monday, October 30, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the press that he would not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, as it would amount to a “surrender” to the militant group. He added that Hamas was responsible for the high death toll in Gaza, because they were using civilians as human shields.

During an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said that “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire has become a matter of life and death for millions” and accused Israel of “collective punishment” of Palestinians.