Tory councillor sorry over photo of boat full of 14 naked women with caption: 'If Carlsberg did illegal immigrants'

Mike Kusneraitis, who shared this picture with the caption 'If Carlsberg did illegal immigrants', admitted some of his posts were 'misjudged'

A Conservative councillor is being investigated by council chiefs after sharing a photo of a boat full of 14 naked women with a caption reading: "If Carlsberg did illegal immigrants."

Mike Kusneraitis, on the Tory-run Runnymede Borough Council in Surrey, said he should be judged on his actions in the community, not by "misjudged postings on social media".

The councillor admitted making a number of "offensive" postings on a Facebook page, which have now been removed.


   

                     Mike Kusneraitis, a Tory councillor on Runnymede Borough Council

Among the postings was a dog with a towel on his head and a sexually explicit cartoon, both posted on the Facebook page of the People's Front of Egham.

He also posted an image on July 24 showing a boat full of 14 naked women, with a caption reading "If Carlsberg did illegal immigrants".

Writing on his own Facebook page at the weekend, Cllr Kusneraitis, of Egham, Surrey, apologised if he offended anyone.

Leaders of the Conservative party in the area confirmed on Monday that it is investigating the postings by Cllr Kusneraitis, which were made in July and August.

Peter Taylor, the chairman of the Runnymede and Weybridge Conservative Association, said he was investigating the postings.

He said: "At the moment I have not got a comment to make because I've only just seen the images. I need to consult with people."

Ian Cruickshank, a 43-year-old local man, said: "Posting a photo of 14 naked women on a boat while making light of the plight of illegal immigration is something he should have realised was wrong."



Mushtaq Deshmukh, the chairman of the Islamic Welfare Association of West Surrey, said he had invited Cllr Kusneraitis to a "Meet Your Muslim Neighbour" meeting on September 19.

He said: "Whether it is true or not, I would like to extend an invitation to the councillor to one of our events, namely 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbour'.

"He can meet Muslims from the local community and maybe learn more about us and then make an educated opinion about Muslims, rather than be like those who have opinions about Muslims without having ever met a Muslim and asked him or her what do they actually believe in."

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The "if Carlsberg did..." slogan was part of a successful marketing campaign by the beer company that has become one of the most recognisable in British advertising.