He said: “The completion of this mural casts a sinister shadow over everything that is positive in East Belfast.
“It is unacceptable that an image which once depicted the world-class talent of George Best has now been replaced by a paramilitary gunman.
“Political representatives have rightly condemned the glorification of terrorism in recent weeks, and must be united and clear in their rejection of all murals of this kind – if we are to build a safe and inclusive society for everyone in Northern Ireland.
“There is much to learn from the peaceful activism of Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who dedicated his life to non-violence and integration, but the placement of this quote alongside a masked gunman is perverse beyond belief.
“This mural is anti-civil rights and anti-East Belfast and should be replaced immediately.”