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Carl Benjamin: UKIP MEP candidate challenged over racist language

UKIP is facing questions about its star candidate Carl Benjamin after a video emerged of him using racist and offensive language.

:: Warning - This article contains racist and offensive language

In the video, posted by Mr Benjamin in 2015, he calls a disabled person a "retard" and an Asian person a "chink".

The "free speech extremist" is standing as the South West candidate for UKIP in the EU elections.

But the party is facing growing pressure over language he has used in a series of online videos.

Sky News has obtained footage in which Mr Benjamin commentates over an anti-discrimination video.

It was originally posted online in 2015 and later removed from YouTube before being posted again by another account.

In it a group of people call for people not to use offensive terms. An Asian woman says it is not acceptable to call people "chink".

Mr Benjamin replies: "You lose! It's actually fine. It's actually just f****** fine and I'll tell you why. Because Asians are privileged."

He adds: "So f*** off, chink, it's okay for me to call you this because racism is power plus prejudice."

In another clip a disabled person says it is not acceptable to use the word "retard".

Mr Benjamin responds by calling the woman a "retard".

The video also includes a number of antisemitic pictures posted over an image of a Jewish man who asks people not to use the word kike.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Mr Benjamin stated that he did not want to talk about the video or previous comments he has made.

Asked about the remarks he said: "I'm not really interested in discussing any of these comments because, you see, I've had something like 400 million views on my YouTube channels in total.

"I've got a huge audience. If people want to go see them they can go watch them on my channel and see the context of them for themselves."

He added: "Personally, I find racist jokes funny."

Mr Benjamin also said: "I tell you what. They can go and have a cry, and when they've collected themselves and they're ready to talk like an adult about the issues and not bring up things that they think might be offensive and spread them around the country to people who might be offended by them, then we can have a sensible conversation about the issues."

The UKIP candidate faced questions about his use of language during the party's EU election launch when it emerged he tweeted that he "wouldn't even rape" Labour MP Jess Phillips.

Asked if it is okay to joke about rape Mr Benjamin replied "yes".

Mr Batten has previously defended his candidate on the grounds of free speech, but UKIP declined to comment on remarks in the video obtained by Sky News.

Labour MP David Lammy responded to Mr Benjamin's video, in which he calls a black man a n*****.

He said: "Words cannot express how deeply sad it is that in Britain in 2019 we have people who use the word n***** running to be elected officials. This is an ideology of hate. It must be confronted and defeated."

Joe Mulhall, a senior research at Hope Not Hate, said: "They don't care about being called far right, they don't care about engaging with far right activists and approaching and trying to get far right voters.

"Any normal party that was mainstream and acceptable would have got rid of Carl Benjamin already and would after this. But this UKIP will not."