The Communities Minister has criticised Derry City and Strabane District Council for voting to oppose the participation of the British armed forces at job fairs in the area.

Gordon Lyons described the council's decision as a 'shame and disgrace' during an Assembly debate on Monday. He said the move reflected a deep-seated intolerance and was discriminatory.

The minister's comments came after DUP MLA Julie Middleton raised the motion that opposed the military's involvement in such events. She highlighted that less than 24 hours before the council vote, British Army bomb disposal experts had defused a viable device at a local hotel.

Lyons said it was inconsistent for councillors to accept the Army's protection but deny people the chance to hear about career opportunities it offers.

Sinn Féin MLAs challenged the minister, with Colm Gildernew pointing to the events of Bloody Sunday in 1972, when 13 people were shot dead by members of the Parachute Regiment during a civil rights march. Philip McGuigan said Lyons was glossing over the British Army's record in Derry.

Last week, the council backed a motion to oppose participation in jobs fairs involving the British Army. Nationalist and socialist councillors supported the proposal, while unionists opposed it.

During the council meeting, independent councillor Shauna Cusack spoke about the killing of her uncle Seamus, who was the first person shot dead by the British Army in Derry during the Troubles. He was shot in the leg in Abbey Park on July 8, 1971, and later died in hospital.

Lyons said his department would continue to provide access to military recruitment stalls in the north-west regardless of the council's opposition, citing the armed forces as offering legitimate and skilled career paths.