The DUP has remained silent over an election candidate who represented a group linked to loyalist paramilitaries.
Ian McLaughlin, who is standing for the party in West Belfast, was involved with the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) - an advisory body connected to the UDA.
He has also been suspected of involvement in a West Belfast UPRG account on Twitter which was known for sending trolling and derogatory messages.
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Its tweets included referring to Irish people as "paddy", using the word "b***h" when referring to women, and using offensive terms for disabled people and Travellers.
The anonymous account disappeared from Twitter around the time Mr McLaughlin was announced as a DUP candidate for the Court area.
The DUP and Mr McLaughlin did not respond to requests for a comment when asked about his association with the UPRG and his views on the UDA.
They also did not respond when asked if Mr McLaughlin had been involved with the West Belfast UPRG account on Twitter.
Mr McLaughlin was named as a representative of the West Belfast UPRG in a joint unionist statement in 2014 opposing a Parades Commission decision over an Orange Order march in the city.
He was also filmed appearing on public platforms about the parading dispute in which he read statements "on behalf of West Belfast UPRG".
A Twitter account with the handle @WestBelfastUPRG had been operating for many years but has recently disappeared from the social media platform.
Screengrabs of tweets show the account was involved in trolling behaviour using derogatory language.
In one exchange the West Belfast UPRG account described a republican Twitter user as a "stupid thick Paddy" and in another tweet said, "Any windows left to lick Paddy."
It also referred to Twitter users as "ballbag" and "gypo", while the word "b***h" was used in exchanges about women.
In response to a tweet from People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll about a protest in support of Palestinians, the UPRG account said: "These hypocrites should have been hosed off the streets by the council's cleansing dept."
Mr McLaughlin is standing for the DUP in the Court area for the election on May 18 alongside sitting party councillors Frank McCoubrey and Nicola Verner.
DUP North Belfast MLA Brian Kingston congratulated Mr McLaughlin earlier this month as his candidacy was announced, describing him as "long-standing community worker in the Greater Shankill area".
He shared a photo of himself shaking hands with Mr McLaughlin and said: "Best wishes to Ian, Nicola and Frank for the forthcoming elections in Court - they will make a great team for the area."
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