Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has been criticised for unscripted remarks he made at a public meeting in Enniskillen, which have been seen as insulting to unionists.
Mr Adams has apologised for the language he used at the meeting last night, but said his point stood.
He had said: "The point is actually to break these b******s" - that's the point. And what's going to break them is equality. That's what's going to break them - equality.
"Who could be afraid of equality? Who could be afraid of treating somebody the way you want to be treated?
"That's what we need to keep the focus on - that's the Trojan horse of the entire republican strategy is to rejoin the people on the basis of equality."
He subsequently tweeted "Mea culpa", but said that equality is the only way to break "bigots", "racists" and "homophobes".
He also called for education and an end to sectarianism.
Political talks, aimed at resolving deep-rooted problems in Northern Ireland, are due to resume later this week.
In Eniskillen. Good crinniu. Great crowd. Very clued in discussion. pic.twitter.com/TASYWnZPp8
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) November 24, 2014Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt criticised Mr Adams, saying: "The audio recording makes clear Gerry Adams thinks equality is nothing more than a tool to be used to manipulate people like me. That is shocking, to the point of nausea.
"On a day I began by criticising the DUP's Gregory Campbell for his gratuitous insult to those who cherish the Irish Language, I despair that I have to end it by challenging Gerry Adams to clarify why he believes equality is no more than a trick to lure unionists into some sort of trap.
"I am emailing the social media link to his words to the US Envoy to the current talks, Senator Gary Hart, for his information."
Mr Campbell was earlier this month reprimanded for allegedly undermining the dignity of Northern Ireland's Assembly with a "humourless" parody of the Irish language.
The DUP's Arlene Foster said Mr Adams' "foul-mouthed abuse had been disrespectful to an entire community".
"Respect is a two-way street. The hyperbole from republicans over recent days has been exposed as hypocrisy," she said.
"Republicans use the Irish language as a weapon and tonight Gerry Adams confirms that they view equality as another weapon to attack unionists, or these b******s as he would term us."
