Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has defended her presence at a counter-demonstration in Scarva, County Down, after being photographed near masked individuals as a Gaza solidarity march passed through the area on Saturday.

The counter-protest drew hundreds of people to the village in opposition to the Great March for Gaza, which was organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign and travelled along the Newry towpath from Lurgan. Police enforced Parades Commission conditions aimed at keeping the march from entering Scarva. Officers blocked several bridges, deployed water cannon and armoured Land Rovers, and brought in Tactical Support Group units.

Ms Lockhart criticised the scale of the police operation, arguing it disrupted residents and heightened tensions. She said the blocking of Scarva Bridge prevented the counter-demonstration from gathering at its planned location. Instead, a large group assembled further up the village near a housing development, close to the canal and the march route. March organisers later claimed they were subjected to abuse from the un-notified counter-protest.

Images from the event showed Ms Lockhart standing near individuals whose faces were covered. In response to the photograph, she posted on social media that she would not apologise for standing with her community. She stated that leadership meant being present, engaging constructively, and helping to keep calm in a tense situation.

The DUP leader Gavin Robinson expressed support. He said Ms Lockhart, along with local MLAs Diane Forsythe and Jonathan Buckley, were on the ground to provide leadership and prevent the situation from worsening.

A number of other politicians condemned the images. Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard described his constituency as a welcoming place, not one defined by masked intimidation. He accused Ms Lockhart of standing with masked men who were intimidating women and children. Ms Lockhart replied that she had to step in because the local MP was absent, and claimed that Mr Hazzard had failed to engage with the family of William Heenan, who was murdered by the IRA in 1985.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said Ms Lockhart had not condemned the fact that the crowd with whom she was pictured wore masks and shouted abuse. SDLP leader Claire Hanna called the images bleak and disturbing, adding that leaders who do not condemn bullying and intimidation will not take society anywhere good. Lagan Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood said standing in a crowd where people cover their faces and shout abuse falls short of positive leadership. Ms Lockhart dismissed Ms Eastwood’s criticism as uninformed and suggested she was seeking attention.