Northern Ireland's Irish language commissioner Pól Deeds stated that unionist opposition to the Irish language aids the cause of Irish unification. He made the comment during an interview after an event for Irish Language Week in Stormont's Great Hall.

TUV leader Jim Allister responded with a statement calling Deeds' position untenable. Allister claimed Deeds echoed comments by Sinn Féin's former publicity director Danny Morrison linking Irish language use to bullets in a freedom struggle.

Morrison denied on X making such a statement and challenged Allister to provide evidence. Allister did not respond to the challenge.

TUV issued a retraction an hour and 40 minutes later. The party corrected that the quote belonged to Padraig Ó Maolchraoibhe, a Sinn Féin cultural officer and teacher. Ó Maolchraoibhe said at a 1982 party seminar that every phrase learned in the language is a bullet in the freedom struggle.

Deeds serves as Stormont's new Irish language commissioner.