Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has expressed his disappointment that the Secretary of State will not use the 2006 Terrorism Act to ensure Sunday's Castlederg Parade to commemorate the death of a number of IRA terrorists is banned.

Mr Nesbitt said: "I spoke to Theresa Villiers this afternoon and she made clear her interpretation of the Terrorism Act is that glorifying terrorism is only illegal if the statements made are intended to encourage people to emulate past terrorist actions.

"Apart from the obvious fact that the so-called dissident republicans are following the route map drawn up by the Provisional IRA, and murdering people like David Black, Ronan Kerr and Stephen Carroll, are we seriously saying that in the United Kingdom, people can celebrate the terrorist attacks on the USA on 9/11 just as long as they do not encourage anyone to do it again?

"In my view, terrorism is an absolute, as in absolutely wrong. I understand families who lose loved ones need space to grieve, remember and commemorate, no matter what the circumstances are, but if we are to build a society that moves forward with any semblance of normality, we cannot airbrush out the terrorism that has plagued our country for decades, any more than we ignore a proper analysis of why people turned to violence in the first place.

"The Ulster Unionist Party will now consider what remaining avenues remain open to stop the glorification of terrorism planned for Castlederg this Sunday. Should the parade go ahead, we call on everyone, whether they are participants, spectators or protesters, to behave in a lawful, peaceful and respectful manner.