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A controversial YouTuber and UKIP candidate faced backlash yesterday (Tuesday, April 23) during a visit to Bristol as part of his campaign to become an member of European Parliament (MEP) for the South West.

Carl Benjamin, 39, from Swindon - better known online by his alias Sargon of Akkad - faced fierce opposition from Bristol-based campaign groups when he arrived in the city.

Protesters contacted a number of venues in the city where Mr Benjamin was believed to be making an appearance in order to make them aware of their fears which resulted in Beefeater Emersons Green cancelling his table, citing safety fears for both staff and other guests in the event of protests.

Mr Benjamin has recently made headlines for refusing to apologise for a tweet he sent to Labour MP Jess Phillips in 2016, in which he said he "wouldn't even rape her", including the hashtag "#FeminismIsCancer".

(Image: Getty Images)

He travelled to Bristol yesterday as part of a campaign tour of the South West, and had planned to greet supporters at a number of locations including the city centre and the Langley Arms in Emersons Green, as well as hosting a small fund-raising dinner which is believed to have been planned to take place at the Emersons Green Beefeater pub.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Benjamin said: "The reception we received from people who were actually interested in talking was really positive, and we had a number of interesting conversations including from perspectives we don't usually hear from in the mainstream media.

"We were met by a group of around 50 people in the city centre, including a very hostile group of no more than ten 'Antifa' types who, despite our polite invites for a proper discussion, reacted with aggression to our presence."

Bristol Antifacists posted a public call to supporters asking them to oppose Mr Benjamin's arrival in Bristol and suggested calling the venues he was planning to visit to voice their opposition.

In a statement on their Facebook page, the group wrote: "Sargon and his followers have heinous racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic views... We must stop him!

"Call, tweet and Facebook message these venues where he plans to meet. If you are unsure what to say, there is a suggested script.

"Let’s show this Islamophobic, racist and sexist scum they aren’t welcome in Bristol!"

(Image: Getty Images)

The 'suggested script' included the line "I fear he will make people scared to come to [name of establishment] and that having him there will also likely attract protesters and trouble."

Bristol Antifacists did not respond to a further request for comment, however Bristol Sisterhood - a feminist collective consisting mostly of migrants to the UK who vocally opposed his visit to the city - stated: "Carl Benjamin's policies and hate speech attack our ideology and our integrity. For this reason we consider it necessary to manifest ourselves and try to combat it."

When asked for a response to claims from Bristol Antifacists that he was 'Islamophobic, racist, and sexist', Mr Benjamin decried the statements as "hollow allegations which are casually slung at anyone who opposed their point of view."

When Bristol Live spoke to Mr Benjamin yesterday afternoon he confirmed that he was at a pub in Bristol with supporters, however refused to reveal his location during the event in order to avoid being targeted by protesters.

A spokesperson for Whitbread, who own Beefeater, said: "In light of a planned protest at one of our Beefeater restaurants in Bristol we have cancelled a booking for a party of around 20 people this evening.

"Decisions like this are not taken lightly but for obvious reasons the safety of our team and guests always comes first."