Richmond city councillors are speaking out on behalf of their colleague who was targeted in Chinese-language attack ads, but say they still don't know who was behind the newspaper campaigns.

Ads printed in two Chinese newspapers targeted Chak Kwong Au, a Richmond city councillor and the NDP candidate for Richmond South Centre.

The ads reference the party's support for same-sex marriage, unisex bathrooms, early sexual education and safe-injection sites, and condemn Au for joining its ranks. Another ad asks Au whether, if elected, he would turn Richmond into Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, an area they refer to as being in "moral decay."

Au spoke last week about the ads, saying the "biased, anonymous attack should have no place in Richmond."

In a statement on his website, he wrote: "I believe in human rights for everyone, including those in the LGBTQ community. My goal is to work with all communities to build an inclusive and accepting society where everyone can be free of discrimination."

Online, the postings are credited to the Better Richmond Concern Group. CTV News reached out to the group last week, but calls were not returned.

On Thursday, one of Au's city council colleagues said it is still not known exactly who is behind the attack ads, which were described as "hateful" by the city's mayor.

Richmond Coun. Carol Day took part in a news conference saying she could no longer sit idly by.

"I think it's dead wrong when people come out with innuendo and false stories to try to scare people into thinking one way or another," she said.

Day said she was appalled by the ads, which she said also ran during local radio programs.

"This group is so cowardly that they haven't even included information on who they are, which speaks to me of the kind of people who are making these accusations," she said.

She added that it is not possible for a single politician – regardless of what branch of government he or she is in – to make changes to widely accepted policies like same-sex marriage.

"It's nonsense. It's absolute nonsense," she said.

"If these ads were credible, if they talked about reality, then you could take them and use them as an information piece. But the way they sit right now, they are complete balderdash."

She said the ads were designed to discredit Au, but that in effect, they also discredit all candidates if they have to be fearful of backlash from "unreliable news sources."

Also at the news conference was Coun. Harold Steves, a former NDP MLA, who said the ads either accused Au of disobeying the law or suggested he should.

He said Richmond has some of the strongest laws in the province and one of the lowest crime rates, "so don't compare us to other communities."

Steves said he was really disturbed by the accusation that Au was "soft on drugs," saying his colleague was instrumental in the city's fight against marijuana operations taking up Richmond farm land.

Former radio broadcaster Hanson Lau also spoke at the news conference, saying the ads put focus on the wrong parts of the election.

"The allegations are issues that are not pertinent to the election that we are talking about, and also not pertinent to Richmond," Lau said.

He said voters need facts to make decisions, so that those elected can be held accountable.

"To me, it's not just this one ad, it's the culture of attacking the candidate personally on something that is not true," he said, suggesting the province crack down on attack ads.