The Dalston art gallery chief at the centre of a national “neo-Nazi” storm says she publicly linked LD50 to an apparent alt-right Twitter account because it was “funny”.

Hackney Gazette: A tweet by @Kantbot2000.A tweet by @Kantbot2000. (Image: Archant)

Embattled Lucia Diego had this week defended her business against allegations of racism after it emerged it had hosted an “alt-right” exhibition and anti-democratic conference.

But today she told the Gazette the @Kantbot2000 account she had directed enquiries to was run by her “press officer” and that its tweets were funny.

Those tweets include: “You know who didn’t invent modernity? Blacks in Africa. Checkmate losers.”

Another from the same account referred to “infected Muslims”.

Hackney Gazette: A tweet by @Kantbot2000.A tweet by @Kantbot2000. (Image: Archant)

Anti-fascist campaigners have formed a Shutdown LD50 campaign and will tomorrow protest outside the Tottenham Road gallery.

Organiser Andrew Osborne, who works at the Royal College of Art, said the tweets – and the alt-right Twitter realm in general – were “quite confusing, but clearly horrible stuff”.

When asked today by the Gazette about the Twitter account, Lucia initially said @Kantbot2000 was an account used by her press officer.

But when told about some of the tweets the account had posted, she then backtracked, saying: “He sometimes does social media for us. Sometimes tweets and things.

Hackney Gazette: LD50 told people to make enquiries to @Kantbot2000.LD50 told people to make enquiries to @Kantbot2000. (Image: Archant)

“He’s a person who tweets funny jokes online. I thought he was going to joke with the people [attacking us].”

She added she did not know the real identity of the person behind the account, but said he was American.

The LD50 gallery website also lists “Kantbot2000” among the “contributors/artists/inspiration” for its 71822666 exhibition.

In the last 24 hours the @Kantbot2000 account appears to have been deleted or renamed, and the tweets removed.