NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST Minister Peter Robinson has described the decision to take an Antrim bakery firm to court in a row over a pro-gay marriage cake as “bonkers”.

The Equality Commission in Northern Ireland is funding the action against the Ashers Bakery chain after they refused to make a cake with a ‘Support Gay Marriage’ slogan.

The Christian-owned bakery said they initially took the order from a customer for a cake bearing the slogan, with a picture of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie.

The customer also asked for the logo of LGBT organisation Queer Space to be placed on the cake.

However, Ashers said that, after consulting about the cake, they decided that they would not be able to complete the order and informed the customer, before refunding him.

“This kind of decision by the Equality Commission is bonkers,” Robinson told the BBC.

I think they really do need to wind their necks in at a time when we’re scraping around to get funding for essential services in Northern Ireland, they’re tossing it into the courts.

Earlier this week, the Commission said it would prefer not to have to litigate.

But it said that the case raised issues of public importance “regarding the extent to which suppliers of goods and services can refuse service on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief and political opinion”.

Read: Daintree Paper boss responds to criticism over gay cake-topper row

Read: Bakery refuses to make Sesame Street ‘Support Gay Marriage’ cake