GB News Northern Ireland's reporter Dougie Beattie has been left outraged after being accused of "fake news" by the First Minister of Northern Ireland.
Speaking to The People's Channel after the heated exchange in Stormont, Dougie told GB News that today is "absolutely the day" to be having a discussion about "open borders" in the country.
Pressing Michelle O'Neill on Sinn Féin's "open border policy", Dougie quizzed her on why her party "insists on a porous border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland".
Ms O'Neill hit back at Dougie, telling him: "Quite the monologue there, Dougie, and fake news.
"And on the day that's in it, totally inappropriate. I don't know any country that is open borders."
Ms O'Neill insisted that she believes in an "immigration system that is fair, and managed and enforceable and compassionate and human rights compliant">
She added: "But that is not the debate for today. The debate today is about our society, about our inclusive society, our welcoming society."
Stressing the severity of the situation surrounding the Belfast knife attack, the First Minister said: "Our conversation today is about our thoughts that are very much with that gentleman who finds himself as a victim of that violent and horrific attack last night.
GB News reporter Dougie Beattie has hit back at First Minister Michelle O'Neill after accusing him of 'fake news'
|GB NEWS
"Our thoughts today are about creating calm in our society. So I think the message from here, from this platform is very consistent, and I have no truck with your fake news."
Hitting back at Ms O'Neill, Dougie argued that she had failed to "answer the question" about Northern Ireland's border situation.
Shutting down Dougie a second time, she replied: "I have no truck with your fake news."
Reacting to the accusation on GB News, Dougie told host Martin Daubney that what is happening on the Irish border is "not fake news".
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The First Minister told Dougie that she has 'no truck for his fake news'
|GB NEWS
He said: "There never seems to be a day to talk about this, and all we hear is platitudes as they come out and condemn exactly what people in these areas are saying, that politicians are not listening to them, and they come back with 'this is not the day to talk about this', and then claim that it's fake news.
"It's not fake news. Exactly what has happened in Dublin is happening here in Northern Ireland, because of a European immigration policy that is now making its way into Northern Ireland."
Praising Dougie's question to Ms O'Neill, Martin declared: "Once again, you're just excellently holding power to account.
"You're doing your job, a proper journalist holding the First Minister to account on a day where they would like us to be saying, 'it's not the day to talk about it'. Thank you, my friend, for asking that pertinent question."
A Sudanese man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following an attack on a man in his 40s in Belfast.
The suspect is believed to have travelled from Sudan to Paris and then from Paris to Dublin on unknown dates before taking a bus to Belfast in February 2023, where he immediately claimed asylum.
The Home Office has confirmed that the individual was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
The individual claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area.