Bono Slammed Over Insensitive Lyrics

U2 lead singer Bono - who has portrayed himself as a world peace figure has been 'found out' during his South African tour as 'insensitive and tactless'.

According to the East Belfast DUP MLA, Robin Newton, by singing songs that called for violent acts against white farmers Bono's credibility has suffered a massive blow.

The band was criticised by South Africa's white community after the lead singer sang lyrics from a controversial anti-apartheid song, which includes the words 'shoot the Boer' - South African farmers of Dutch descent, and the term has spread to include elements of their wider community.

"It is not acceptable to sing in support of bloodshed; to do so is a hate crime. Nor was it even correct to sing this brand of song during the years of wicked apartheid," the Stormont Junior Minister, Robin Newton said.

"Having again been caught up in another piece of controversy by the singing a ballad urging violence against white farmers he has revealed he and his family sang pro IRA songs.

"In describing these IRA songs as 'folk music' he insults and abuses those who suffered at the hands of IRA terrorists. Terrorist groups take comfort and are encouraged when songs supporting their evil deeds ring from the rafters," he said, noting that, following the Good Friday Agreement, Bono (pictured) stood between David Trimble and John Hume, arms raised aloft on the face of it as a peace promoter.

"How can he justify this peacemaker image with singing songs glorifying terrorism?" asked the MLA.

Meanwhile, across the border, the leader of Fianna Fail, Michael Martin has been forced to issue an apology for impersonating a Chinese accent during a meeting in Dublin yesterday morning.

During a Breakfast Briefing at the Dublin Web Summit were he was speaking about his innovation and enterprise policies, Mr Martin said: "Whenever I met Chinese ministers or officials, particularly as Enterprise Minister, there was one sort of overriding refrain from them or demand. And they kept on saying to me, [in a faux-Chinese accent] 'You Irish, very good at software'."

Clips of the gaffe were recorded by Today FM and have been circulated online since the meeting, with links posted on Twitter, YouTube and elsewhere.

In an apologetic statement issued last night, Mr Martin said he had made a comment "in a manner which I shouldn't have".

"I was making a serious point about how Ireland is seen in the world as a leader in software. If anyone was in any way offended, I of course apologise."

The Minister said he didn't mean to offend anyone, and conceded that it was inappropriate to mimic the accent.

(DW/BMcC)