A leading loyalist has said that members of his community angry over the Northern Ireland Protocol are "entitled" to hold a protest in Dublin.
Jim Wilson was speaking after it emerged that loyalists are planning a mass protest in Dublin next month.
Mr Wilson, who was speaking in a personal capacity, is a member of Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which was set up in 2015 and includes the representatives of the UVF, UDA and Red Hand Commando.
In recent months multiple protests have been organised to highlight loyalist opposition to the protocol and claims of two-tier policing.
In 2006 a ‘Love Ulster’ rally through Dublin was abandoned after rioting broke out following clashes between republican protesters and the gardaí, leading to 14 arrests and 41 injuries.
Earlier this week prominent loyalist Jamie Bryson said a protest in Dublin will send a message to the Irish government.
“Maybe that will make the Irish government realise that if they are intent on imposing instability within Northern Ireland, then instability will be brought to their country via peaceful protests," he said.
He added that "any discussions I’ve been privy to have quite rightly focused solely on peaceful protest" but that "there might well be others having different conversations I am not aware of".
Speaking to the Irish News last night Mr Wilson said the "relationship built up between loyalism and the Irish government over the years through Bertie Ahern, Mary McAleese and her husband, all those things, have been whitewashed out by the present day government".
He also accused the Irish government of "political terrorism" over its approach to the Irish border issue during Brexit talks.
Mr Wilson said loyalists remain angry.
"The anger's with mostly the Irish government because the Irish government are to blame for telling those people in Europe that this was the easy way out," he said.
"And it's not the easy way out.
"It's hard for our communities and it's hard for us as loyalists and unionists to accept the fact that we have now been economically tied to 26 different states who at their whim can do anything they like to our country."
The east Belfast based loyalist said the LCC has yet to discuss a potential Dublin protest.
Asked if he would attend any protest he said: "I don't know, it's something I would have to seriously think about".
He insisted loyalists are entitled to hold a protest but stressed the need for it to be peaceful.
"It's something that Jamie has been talking to other people about quite obviously and he is quite entitled to do that," he said.
"If they need to vent their anger as long as it's peaceful, they are quite entitled to protest against the people who we believe created most of this situation.
"We are angry against the British government and the Irish government, but mostly the Irish government for running around Europe with photographs of the conflict, which is not longer here at the minute."
The Department for Foreign Affairs in Dublin was contacted for comment.
A spokesman for the TUV said it takes the view "that the most effective way to combat the Protocol is sustained, robust political pressure".
He added that people have a right to protest.
“Protest is a fundamental right in any democracy and it would be odd, having invested so much time in preventing any border on the island of Ireland, nationalists would complain about loyalists considering taking a protest to Dublin," he said.
"Obviously any protest must be peaceful and within the law.”
Both the DUP and UUP declined to comment.
