UUP's Jay Basra given support from across the parties after racist abuse sent in response to his enjoyment of Twelfth

His father was a Sikh from the Punjab region of India while his mother was a Presbyterian from Cookstown.

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Jay describes himself as a Punjabi-British Presbyterian.

He told the News Letter that he had received racist abuse from republicans when he first announced his candidacy to stand in the Mid Ulster area.

These were reported to the PSNI who have since requested details on the four or five X social media accounts, he said.

The latest abuse came after he tweeted his enjoyment of the Twelfth, with a photograph of him and a lodge colleague, UUP councillor Trevor Wilson, both in their regalia.

“I hope everyone had an enjoyable and peaceful Twelfth of July,” Jay tweeted. “We had a good day down in Benburb and a great crowd supporting us all the way

“I am pleased to be able to parade with my lodge once again, the Cookstown True Blues LOL 459.”

However, his innocuous tweet prompted a vile direct message.

The direct message sent to Mr Basra in response to his tweet read: “I'll cut your head off you wee black scummy F***ing onion bhaji little c***.”

A tirade of abuse in a similar vein followed.

Jay told the News Letter it was much worse than the regular racist abuse he suffers online.

“I initially didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was. But when I did read it, I thought, this is definitely beyond the fringes of what I usually get.

“It was direct and graphic. It's not like, in any way, sort of subtle or vague, as they usually are.”

The racism he faced online surged after he became the UUP Mid-Ulster Westminster candidate and is now quite regular.

“If my post is very popular you'll get at least one comment which alludes to your race or you being Indian,” he said.

Having retweeted the abuse on this occasion, he was strongly defended on social media by Alliance leader Naomi Long and deputy leader Stephen Farry, DUP MLA Peter Martin, Lord Peter Weir, Sinn Fein's Paul Butler, SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone, Independent MP Alex Easton, and the UUP's Doug Beattie, Steve Aiken and Robin Swann MP, as well as the Communist Party of Ireland.

UUP leader Doug Beattie said: “Jay Basra is a young unionist willing to stand up in public and have his views scrutinised. That does not mean he should be subjected to racial abuse or threats of violence.

“The Ulster Unionist Party will continue to support Jay and ensure his voice is not silenced by cowards hiding behind anonymity.”

Jay has reported the message to the PSNI.

In May this year, within days of being announced as the UUP election candidate, Jay faced comments about “Muslims running the show,” and responded, saying: “I just want to do the best I can for the constituency.

“I wanted to run so I could give young unionism a voice as well.”