‘I am not a Nazi’: Liberal Democrats candidate ‘deeply regrets’ white supremacist Facebook posts

The Liberal Democrats candidate for the federal seat of Brisbane says he "deeply regrets" a history of offensive Facebook posts, including messages that were antisemitic, described Indigenous Australians as "the enemy" and celebrated white supremacist culture.

One photo uploaded by the candidate, Anthony Bull, shows him smiling next to One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts as a group of young men make hand gestures - described by Bull as "White Power salutes" - behind them. Roberts is not making a hand gesture.

"Wherever x amount of AYPS [Australian Youth Political Space] members meet, a group photo with Senator Roberts making White Power salutes must be taken," Bull wrote as a caption to the post in 2017.

The hand gesture, traditionally used to signal "OK", has also been co-opted by far-right movements to become what the US Anti-Defamation League says is a "hate symbol".

Bull shared the image - taken at the 2017 "LibertyFest" in Brisbane - to a Facebook group which has 6,000 members.

Responding to Guardian Australia questions about the photo, Roberts said he "was not aware of what the people behind me were doing".

"I don't know what a white power symbol looks like. I wholeheartedly reject all forms of racism," Roberts said.