Ford disavows support from Quebec man alleged to be notorious white nationalist

PC Leader Doug Ford disavowed support from a Quebec man alleged to be a white nationalist blogger after the Liberals drew attention to an audio recording that included theunsolicited endorsement at a news conference on Sunday.

"I condemn this guy's views and everything he stands for. If he knew anything about Ford Nation, he would know we welcome people from all backgrounds, religion, & income levels," Ford said in a tweet.

"Nice try, Liberals," he added.

The endorsement came from an internet figure known as "Zeiger"on a recentpodcast with two other self-avowed white nationalist figures who go by pseudonyms.

Last week, the Montreal Gazette reported that Zeigeris in fact a Montreal IT consultant namedGabriel Sohier Chaput.

According to the newspaper, Zeiger was the "second-most prolific" writer on an infamous neo-Nazi blog called The Daily Stormer. The website is known for its unabashed racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism. The podcast, calledThis Hour Has 88 Minutes, was posted on the site.

Among white supremacists, the number eight is a reference to the letter H, the eighth number in the alphabet. The number 88, or HH, is allusion to the Nazi refrain, "Heil Hitler."

CBC Montreal reported Saturday that Zeiger was the"primary publicist" fora radical U.S.-based group that hasbeen linked to the murders of five people.

"I'm converted to Ford Nation now, I swear we need to hit blue collar people where they are, they don't want to see Muslims in their communities," he saidduring the podcast.

Another said that Ford is "saying the same kind of things that invigorate the white working class."

Li Koo, the Liberal candidate in the riding of Toronto-Danforth, represented the party at the news conference.

Since Monday, the Liberals have fired three political volleys at Ford and his PCs. Last week, the Liberals held a news conference to draw attention to a video of Ford, recorded in February, that captured him saying he would allow development in the Greenbelt. It's not clear who uploaded the video online, but Ford has since vowed to keep the Greenbelt intact should he be elected premier.

On Saturday, the Liberals released a 2014 video in which former Tanya Granic Allen, the former PC candidate in Mississauga Centre, made "irresponsible" comments that some interpreted as homophobic. Ford revoked her candidacy as a result, drawing ire from her staunch core of socially conservative supporters.