Loyalist Jamie Bryson has claimed that the UVF are "counter terrorists" following criticism of his attendance at a commemoration.
Mr Bryson had hit out in a Twitter post about a Sunday newspaper story that showed him and east Belfast loyalist Stephen Matthews attending a parade on Saturday for murdered UVF commander Robert 'Squeak' Seymour.
The Sunday Life also tweeted an image of Mr Matthews with Mr Bryson at the parade for Mr Seymour, who was shot dead by the IRA in 1988.
Mr Bryson appeared on The Nolan Show on Monday where he responded to criticism of his attendance at the commemoration.
Presenter Stephen Nolan asked Mr Bryson why he had been critical of a republican commemoration a week ago in south Armagh, yet later went on to attend a loyalist one.
Asked if he was a UVF supporter, he said he was not, and added: "the UVF is a proscribed organisation".
"There are many people who take the view that loyalists in a conflict situation, which we are not in by the way, in the absence of the security forces being able to defend those communities, had a right to defend themselves. And I've said that to people over the years. There's nothing shocking about this, nothing new," Mr Bryson said.
He went on to reference an interview given by former east Belfast MP and DUP leader Peter Robinson in which he described loyalist paramilitaries as "counter terrorists".
“In a conflict situation, I view the IRA as terrorists and, as Peter Robinson said in the 1980s, I view the actions of the UVF and UDA in a conflict situation as counter terrorism as responding to the IRA," Mr Bryson said.
Asked about UVF killings, Mr Bryson added that no innocent person should ever have been shot dead.
“There is no dispute that I was at that commemoration. Absolutely none and I’ve been going to it for 10 years. There’s no dispute that not only is Mr Matthews a client of mine, but in fact, that Mr Matthews is a friend of mine, and I have no shame in that whatsoever," he added.
In reference to the front-page story published, Mr Bryson said, “you’d think there’s nothing else going on in the world. Man walks down the street in which he lives”.
He then read from its own editorial code which he said stated "it is a basic tenant of good and responsible journalism to put any critical or damaging claim or allegation to the subject before publication".
“The Sunday Life made no effort to contact Mr Matthews, made no effort to contact me before they put that story out on Sunday," he added.
On Twitter, Mr Bryson had said the story was "pathetic".
"Creeping around taking photos of people at perfectly lawful band parades. When will they be taking photos of IRA terrorists at republican commemorations? Spoiler. They won’t," he posted.
The paper's Twitter account responded with a reference to its coverage of the IRA commemoration event in south Armagh earlier this month.
"Our photographers cover IRA commemorations too, for example the recent south Armagh one," it said.
