A Conservative councillor has apologised after sharing racist comments on social media following the wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the world sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US.
Debbie Young, a Tory on Stroud District Council, retweeted a post from far-right media commentator Katie Hopkins and another from a US-based Donald Trump supporter branding protesters "anti-fascist terrorists".
Hopkins had commented on Twitter about protests in London, saying "the sad truth is that the real Minority Ethnic in London is White Brits".
Ms Young also shared a post which suggested protesters were "bone idle" and the "mindless thugs' solution".
Copies of the posts, which have since been deleted, were passed to the PA news agency.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Ms Young said she "sincerely apologised for any offence caused".
She wrote: "On June 4 in response to the mass protests taking place as a result of the tragic death of George Floyd, I used social media to promote equality.
"I stated that all lives matter and that I had never taken race into account.
"At the same time, I said I understood there was anger following George Floyd's tragic death, but urged protests involving large numbers of people to stop in order to avoid spreading coronavirus, highlighting the need to maintain social distancing.
"My concern was for people's safety due to the potential spread of coronavirus.
"Some of the protests escalated into violence on June 6 and I re-tweeted comments made by two individuals.
"I accept that in doing so I may have caused concern and upset by my comments and in re-tweeting these posts.
"This was never my intention. I sincerely apologise for any offence caused.
"This was no way in indication of support for the views of those individuals. Neither was it a reflection of my values or my long-held beliefs on equality.
"I abhor racism in any form. I have worked tirelessly throughout my life to promote equality and to oppose racism.
"I have always served my community to the best of my ability, treating everyone equally and without prejudice.
"I will continue to fight against racism and to promote equality in all our communities."
In a statement, a Conservative Party spokesman said: "We are investigating this matter."
A Stroud District Council spokesman added: "The monitoring officer has received complaints which he is considering in line with the council's procedure.
"Any complaints under the code of conduct are dealt with by the monitoring officer and it would be inappropriate to comment on an individual case.
"Stroud District Council condemns all forms of racism.
"We recognise the historic and institutional injustice experienced by BAME people across the world, including in our own communities, and reaffirm our commitment to promoting equality and tackling discrimination."
