BNP Euro election candidate fills his Facebook page with race-hate remarks

A BNP Euro election candidate is at the centre of a storm today after making obscene race-hate comments on his public Facebook page.

Eddy O'Sullivan, who is standing in the Euro elections with party leader Nick Griffin, set his 'status' on the social networking website so that it said: 'W**s go home, Gurkhas very welcome'.

He joined a group called F*** Islam and wrote a string of offensive comments on his Facebook profile.

His page was public even though he could have made it private so only friends could see it.

Embarrassed bosses at the BNP - which regularly tries to deny it is anything other than a respectable political party - are now investigating and say he could be suspended and deselected as a candidate.

In online Facebook conversations carried out over several days, Mr O'Sullivan has made comments including:

• 'They are nice people - oh yeah - but can they not be nice people in the f****** Congo or... bongo land or whatever?'
• 'Life to British Culture . . . W** culture go home.'
• 'People from other countries are just NOT on our wavelength... or am I wrong?'
• To a friend's comment that 'they come to live in England so they should treat it like England or f*** off, even better not come here in the first place!' - 'Oooh that is drastic... but you are right and you are not breaking any law when you say that.'

Mr O'Sullivan, 49, who is the BNP's organiser for Salford, Manchester, and is fourth on the party's North-West list for Euro candidates, today admitted posting the comments but denied they were racist.

He said: 'It was supposed to be a private conversation between individuals. I also may have had a drink at the time. I don't believe those comments are racist. I'm not a racist and that is that. I don't regret saying anything because it was a private conversation.'

His Facebook profile was publicly viewable, which meant it was accessible to anyone on the site, but it has since been taken down.

Last night Mr O'Sullivan's details had been removed from the BNP's website.

In recent years the BNP has attempted to change its image as a racist party. However, it still allows only white people to become members and demands, as a matter of policy, that non-white British people leave the country.

Clive Jefferson, North-West organiser of the BNP, said if the allegations were proved Mr O'Sullivan would be suspended from the party in Salford. He said: 'That is unacceptable and I'm going to suspend him from the party and from the European candidacy. There's freedom of speech and there is unacceptable language and I think this is unacceptable.'

Deputy BNP leader Simon Darby said: 'We will have an investigation and we will take disciplinary action if we find he has posted the comments. If he has made these comments on a public website then it is a serious matter.'

Mr O'Sullivan, a driving instructor, came third earlier this year in a by-election in Pendlebury for Salford City Council. In the run-up to the vote he also made disparaging comments about Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Cooke on his website.

The Daily Mail!