A Sinn Fein MP has been suspended by his party for three months for posting a social media video of himself balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre.
West Tyrone MP Barry McElduff said he accepted the sanction imposed by the Sinn Fein leadership but reiterated his insistence that the contentious post was not meant as a reference to the sectarian murders of 10 Protestant workmen at the village of Kingsmill in 1976.
Announcing the punishment, Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill apologised to the Kingsmill families.
She said the tweet was "ill-judged and indefensible" but said she did not believe it was intentionally malicious.
Mrs O'Neill also confirmed that her party colleague would continue to get paid his Sinn Fein party salary during his suspension.
Unionists have criticised Sinn Fein for not being tougher on Mr McElduff, with some branding a three-month suspension with continued pay as a "cop out".
Mr McElduff was censured by party chiefs after a lengthy meeting at Sinn Fein headquarters in west Belfast on Monday.
Afterwards, the republican MP reiterated what he described as a "deep and sincere" apology to relatives of the Kingsmill victims, insisting he did not mean to cause any hurt.
"Although I genuinely meant no offence, I accept that my actions were ill-judged and, while unintended, caused deep and unnecessary hurt and pain to the Kingsmill families," he said.
The well-known Kingsmill brand of bread shares a name with the south Armagh village that witnessed one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles in 1976.
Republican paramilitary gunmen stopped a van carrying textile workers on their way home, identified the Protestant occupants, lined them up at the side of the road and shot them.
"In recognising the serious consequences of my actions, I fully accept the party's decision to suspend me from all party activity for a period of three months," said Mr McElduff.
He said he had "no idea" he had posted the video on the anniversary of the massacre.
"I have no doubt that hurt and pain has been caused but it was genuinely unintended on my part," he said.
In the short video, Mr McElduff, who is known for his light-hearted social media contributions, is filmed walking around a shop with a Kingsmill loaf on his head, asking where the store kept the bread.
It was posted around the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmill outrage on Friday.
He has faced multiple calls to resign in the wake of the controversy.
After the disciplinary meeting, Mrs O'Neill said sorry to the Kingsmill families.
"To the Kingsmill families, I as the Sinn Fein leader in the north want to apologise unreservedly for the hurt and pain that has been caused over the course of the last number of days in regard to Barry's tweet," she said.
Mrs O'Neill said Mr McElduff has been suspended as a party member for three months but that she had considered all disciplinary actions, including dismissing him from the party.