A UKIP candidate is today being investigated by party chiefs over a string of comments left on Facebook.
Liz Mahon, who is standing for the party in Garrison ward, Preston Council, made posts hailing Enoch Powell, criticising Nigel Farage for paying tribute to Nelson Mandela and calling halal food ‘sick evil satanic’.
The politician made a number of her posts on the Facebook pages of the far-right English Defence League and Britain First parties.
Today a spokesman for UKIP said the posts were “being investigated as a matter of urgency”.
The spokesman added: “Such posts are not acceptable and are not the views of UKIP at all.”
The Evening Post visited Ms Mahon at her home in Forest Way, Fulwood, yesterday. She said the posts were made “ages ago” and declined to comment further. The posts were made on her own Facebook page and other pages including the EDL and Britain First party between August 2013 and February this year.
Ms Mahon is standing in today’s elections for Garrison ward, which is a vacant seat after Coun Jennifer Greenalgh stood down.
Last night Ms Mahon’s page had been changed from public to private and some of the posts were removed.
Liberal Democrat candidate Julie Voges, who is also standing in the same ward, said the posts were “disgraceful”.
She added: “It’s absolutely appalling, it’s quite shocking I feel.
“We are living in a multicultural society. The England she wants to live in doesn’t exist any more. We are all human beings, we are all inhabitants on planet earth.”
Charlotte Leach the Conservative Party candidate for the ward said she couldn’t comment on something she hadn’t seen.
Labour Candidate Steve Ratcliffe could not be reached at the time of going to press.
Green party candidate Bill Houghton couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.
In February, Ms Mahon shared a message from the far-right Britain First party claiming Enoch Powell was “absolutely” right.
In December she posted on Nigel Farage’s page criticising him for his tribute to Nelson Mandela after the ex-South African president’s death.
She posted: “Bad comment Mr Farage, so very disappointed, you portray Mandela as a good person, when he certainly was nothing of the sort.
“Do you see Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams as a good men, cos if you do, you clearly have shown your true colours on here today – my vote hangs in the balance now. I want you to answer the question.”
And in August last year she commented on a post by the English Defence League Sikh Division page which was headed ‘Barbaric Halal slaughtering of animals.’
She posted: “Sick evil satanic, why is England allowing this evil animal cruelty to happen.
“DEFRA petition is not enough, we need a petition to have this stopped...this is England and they should be arrested for animal cruelty.”