Question Author
Even by the standards of previous political stunts in NI and elsewhere this is bizarre.
DUP representative Alderman Brian Kingston said it had been an "error of judgement" by Jolene Bunting (independent unionist)
"As members of council, we can bring people into City Hall and show them around, but there's protocols about any filming being done in City Hall, especially in the council chamber.
To bring Jayda Fransen into the chamber, to put a councillor's robe on her, to place her in the Lord Mayor's chair and have her talking about her court case - this is a gross abuse of Belfast City Council, of our City Hall, of the post of Lord Mayor and it's not something that we and the people of Belfast want to be associated with."
Ms Bunting claimed she would give the robes to anyone to try on (I might put that one to the test next time I'm a tourist at city hall!)
However she later talks about the "demonising" of Ms Fransen, so I would suggest this is not an off-the-cuff as Ms Bunting is claiming.