The DUP has criticised pro-Palestinian protestors who shouted “SS/RUC” at PSNI officers during confrontations outside Queen’s University on Thursday.
The chants were audible in a social media post from People Before Profit’s Mid Ulster branch account.
The post also described police as “thugs” as they made four arrests outside an event at which former US secretary of state and Queen’s chancellor Hillary Clinton was speaking.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has declined to distance himself from the post.
A PSNI spokesperson said the right to protest, freedom of speech and assembly were “fundamental human rights” and protected in law.
“What was experienced yesterday cannot be described as peaceful in nature,” the spokesperson said.
“In order to manage risks to the public and to our officers, additional resources, including tactical support officers were required, significantly over and above the initial local police deployment.”
The spokesperson said a number of officers were injured “without justification”.
“In spite of these challenges, every effort was made to facilitate those engaging in peaceful protest to continue to express their views,” the spokesperson said.
DUP MLA David Brooks said everyone had the right to protest but that those involved needed to behave peacefully and lawfully.
“Alongside the actions which led to the arrest of protestors, there were also chants of ‘SS RUC’ from protestors towards police,” he said.
“Given these were protests linked to the actions of Israel in defending itself against terrorism it is entirely wrong to invoke language that relates to Nazism.”
He called on People Before Profit to disassociate themselves from the actions of the protestors.
But Mr Carroll told The Irish News that he “won’t take any lectures from the DUP who have continually backed Israel’s genocide in Palestine”.
“The people who protested Clinton yesterday are on the right side, unsurprisingly, once again the DUP are on the wrong side,” the West Belfast MLA said.
In a statement on Thursday, the West Belfast representative accused the the PSNI of being “intent on restricting peaceful protest” and responding in an “overly aggressive manner”.
Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy said images of the confrontation between protesters and police were “extremely disturbing and need to be fully and properly examined”.
“Those protesting were doing so to highlight genocide, apartheid and illegal occupation in Gaza,” the Foyle representative said.
“The right to peaceful protest must be protected.”
Professor Colin Harvey, director of the Queen’s Human Rights Centre said he had “serious concerns” about Thursday’s events.
“There are questions to be answered, including by the PSNI, on the approach taken yesterday - and throughout this week - to the monitoring and policing of these events at our universities,” he said.
