A DUP council election candidate has been criticised for sharing controversial posts on Twitter expressing opposition to immigration.
Bradley Ferguson shared a tweet which said "diversity is not always a strength" as it could mean "fewer white people, fewer Englishmen and fewer Christians".
The Belfast City Council candidate also retweeted an image of right-wing former MP Enoch Powell and quotes from his controversial 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.
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The notorious anti-immigration speech has previously been condemned as "incitement to racial violence".
In response to a tweet about a woman saying she would no longer give money to lifeboat charity the RNLI after they rescued migrants from the English Channel, Mr Ferguson responded: "Well said that lady."
Patrick Yu, who is on the trustee board of the Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality, said he was "shocked" by the anti-immigration tweets.
He said: "I think people should complain to the DUP and let them know these are very extreme views."
Separately Mr Ferguson, who is standing in the Lisnasharragh area in the election on May 18, also 'liked' a tweet opposing Covid testing, vaccinations and face masks.
The 29-year-old 'liked' a tweet by Apprentice star Lord Alan Sugar who described a "large percentage" people who work from home as "lazy gits".
He also backed taxing cyclists for cycle lanes, and last year expressed support for then Prime Minister Liz Truss' tax-cutting policies which she later reversed after market turmoil.
Mr Ferguson issued an apology after the party was approached by Belfast Live.
In a statement, he said: "These posts were sent as a private individual, before I sought to stand for election.
"I apologise for any offence caused. I recognise that they are neither in-keeping with party policy or indeed, reflect the standards that I present in this election.
"I have committed to abide by the standards of my party and look forward to engagement during the election campaign.
"I shall offer no further comment on the matter."
Mr Ferguson retweeted a post from last November which included a link to a blog article entitled, "Why Enoch was right."
The tweet from GB News contributor Calvin Robinson read: "Diversity is not always a strength. In this context, diversity means fewer white people, fewer Englishmen, and fewer Christians. There are those who would celebrate that. I would call them racists."
Mr Ferguson retweeted quotes from Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech, which Labour peer Lord Andrew Adonis has previously described as the "worst incitement to racial violence by a public figure in modern Britain".
The DUP man also responded to a tweet from TalkTV about a caller who said she would no longer give money to the RNLI after they rescued migrants from the English Channel.
The caller was quoted in the tweet saying, "They're asking for charity and then spending the money on bringing those people over on their boats."
Mr Ferguson responded to the tweet: "Well said that lady."
Elsewhere, he liked a tweet from last September which had a photo of several women wearing sunglassess and a message which read: "No jabs, no tests, no masks - no f***s given."
In response to a Twitter user who asked "should cyclists be taxed?", the council candidate last year replied: "Yes they have cycle lanes but have made no contributions to them."
And replying to a tweet last October asking if Ms Truss should "U-turn on tax cuts", Mr Ferguson wrote: "She should hold her ground and not allow the minority of screaming lefty loons dicate (sic) policy."
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