A FORMER Ukip Parliamentary candidate is being investigated by police for inflammatory comments on social media in response to a peace event held to coincide with Ramadan.

Paul Perrin, who stood for the party in Hove in 2010, has been reported to Sussex Police for alleged Islamophobic comments to Labour councillors who had attended an iftar dinner celebrating “harmony, diversity and mutual understanding” at The Grand hotel in Brighton on Sunday.

On the same night, Mr Perrin wrote a series of offensive posts following the terrorist attack on the Finsbury Park Mosque.

Brighton and Hove city councillor Daniel Yates, who reported the matter to police, described the offending tweets as “incitement” and “a call to violence”.

Ukip said Mr Perrin had not been a member of the party for more than five years and his opinions did not represent the party on any level.

Mr Perrin stood as the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Hove in 2010 and at the Brighton and Hove City Council by-election for the Westbourne ward in December 2011.

He described himself as supporting Ukip’s stance on Brexit but had allowed his membership to lapse.

In recent days he has dubbed progressives as “two-faced lying scum”, called Islam the “religion of hate” and wrote “the state have failed, so a member of the public launches the #CounterJihad” in response to the terror attack on Finsbury Park Mosque attack.

He also suggested that news of the mosque attack should be spread to Calais to deter other refugees coming into the country.

Other comments are simply too offensive for The Argus to print.

Cllr Yates said: “He likes to provoke people but he has stepped over the line this time.

“I cannot understand the mentality that thinks that is acceptable, especially when you think of people who died unnecessarily in fires even last week.

“That level of Islamophobic is the exact opposite of what Brighton and Hove stands for.

“If Ukip are aware of this, then I would hope they would distance themselves from it.

“I cannot believe even Ukip would consider this acceptable behaviour.”

Nigel Furness, Ukip’s press and policy officer for Brighton and Hove, said: “Paul does not speak for Ukip from a local branch level or nationally. 

“We would totally distance ourselves from those comments, they are not helpful at all considering the current climate.

“It has taken years and years for this party to show we are not some sort of far-right group but unfortunately it takes just one incident like this to threaten to undo that.”

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “Police received a report of a response to a tweet as being racially or religiously motivated and inciting hatred towards Muslims.

“The comments were reported and are being investigated as a hate crime.”