Anti-gay protesters who called on revellers at a Pride march to “Return to Jesus”, found their stunt backfired when the messiah himself appeared to show up with a placard that read: “Keep queer and carry on.”

The mock son of God turned up in a show of support for some 85,000 LBGT supporters who marched through the streets of the South Korean capital, Seoul, in a bloom of rainbow colours to celebrate their day.

The Conservative Christians demonstrators held crosses on a stage nearby under a banner that read: “Homosexuality is a Sin”.

Together they chanted hate messages in a bid to rain on the parade.

But the protest fell flat on its face when revellers ignored the demonstration and instead lined up to hug the would-be Jesus amid cheers from the crowds that drowned out their chants.

Another messiah who turned out against the protest held a placard in support of LBGT that read: “I’m cool with it.”

The Christ-like figure was decked out in full biblical regalia including a fake beard and a white robe in an outfit that was snapped by revellers and quickly did the rounds on the internet.

One of the mock Jesus figures said he was inspired not by the man above but to help spread a message of support for his gay friends who had been heckled in the city’s Pride two years ago.

Robert Evans, 27, an American living in Seoul, told the Irish Examiner: “Walking amongst them and feeling [the protesters’] pure hatred directed right at me as if I was gay was an unforgettable moment.

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“The hate was tangible and intense, and as a straight western male, I had never felt anything like it.”

Noting that he bears “some resemblance to the classic representation of Jesus” in his day-to-day life, Evans said he felt it “would be meaningful to present an alternative interpretation” of Christ’s teachings.

“Korea still has a long way to go in terms of rights and acceptance but I’m glad to see and be a part of the small steps it is making in the right direction,” he said. “Every year Pride gets bigger, the protests get smaller, and the long road towards equality gets a little bit shorter.”

It came three years after another Christ-like figure turned out at Chicago’s Pride parade in 2014, shutting down anti-LGBT protesters with a sign that read: “I’m Not With These Guys”.