Foul-mouthed nudist launches bid to become councillor

Content warning: This article contains explicit and offensive material

Emily Price 

A foul-mouthed nudist comedian from Bridgend who posted a video of his scrotum on social media has announced plans to stand in next year’s council elections.

Karl Svensen revealed on Tuesday (August 18) he would stand as an Independent candidate for Bridgend County Borough Council at next May’s local elections, pledging to “make Porthcawl great again”.

Mr Svensen, who also performs under the name Karl Foxx, is a local stand-up comedian known for his blue and vulgar style, which he claims he has used to raise money for various charities.

But frustration with Bridgend council leader John Spanswick has prompted Mr Svensen to stand for election.

His decision is understood to stem from a dispute with the council over the closure of his Beachcomber pub as part of the Porthcawl seafront redevelopment, as well as how the new trading spaces have been allocated.

Announcing his bid for elected office with an AI generated MAGA style campaign poster, Mr Svensen said: “There is no place for lies, dishonesty, secrecy or corruption in local government. Residents deserve councillors who are honest, transparent and accountable.”

The synthetic image, which portrayed Mr Svensen as US President Donald Trump, was later altered following a backlash from social media commentators.

Further concerns were raised about Mr Svensen’s online content and whether it was compatible with someone seeking elected office.

Mr Svensen has a separate verified Facebook page for his comedy persona, “Karl Foxx”, which carries a bio warning that the content is intended for adults.

However, his personal Facebook page carried no such warning, despite featuring naked images of himself, crude material and a video in which he told a racist joke about Chinese people.

Last week, Mr Svensen posted a video on Facebook showing himself walking around his caravan naked with his penis tucked between his legs.

In a later video, he told followers he had published another post which featured his testicles “hanging out” but that Facebook had removed it.

A few days prior to this, when a once-in-a-generation solar eclipse captivated Wales, Mr Svensen published video footage of his scrotum blocking out a light.

In recent weeks, he has also shared images of female genitalia on Facebook and as well as regularly posting videos of himself delivering crude jokes while naked on a sofa or in the bath.

In one video he joked about giving oral sex to a woman to bring her out of a coma, in another post he used a highly derogatory slang term to describe a gay man.

We also noted that in one video Mr Svensen was driving a vehicle whilst filming content for his page.

After questions were raised about Mr Svensen’s decision to stand for election, he posted a shirtless video on Facebook in which he insisted that Karl Foxx and Karl Svensen were “two different people”, adding that, as Karl Svensen, he would not “turn up down the council offices and start stripping off”.

It is understood that Mr Svensen has no links to Bridgend’s Independent councillors, some of whom have raised serious concerns about the comedian’s output during the recent World Cup.

In a video posted in July captioned “Happy Friday, fuck the English”, Mr Svensen sat shirtless on a toilet as he launched into a foul-mouthed rant about English people.

The video contained so much profanity that Nation.Cymru is unable to reproduce its contents.

In other videos, Mr Svensen flicked his tongue at the camera and described how he had shaved his pubic hair during Wales’ recent heatwaves.

Nation.Cymru asked Mr Svensen whether his bid for elected office was a serious one or simply an attempt to attract attention.

We also asked whether his work as a blue comedian was compatible with life as a councillor, and whether Porthcawl residents would want to be represented by someone who publishes explicit images of himself on social media.

Mr Svensen said he was “100% serious” about standing for election, adding that it was not a “publicity stunt” or a bid for attention.

He said: “I have received considerable support from people in Porthcawl who know me, know the work I have done in the town and believe I would stand up for them.

“I am also a blue stand-up comedian. My comedy is adult comedy, it is deliberately provocative and it is a stage character.

“Comedians such as Roy Chubby Brown and others have built careers around that style of comedy.

“What a comedian says as part of an adult comedy performance should not automatically be confused with how that person conducts themselves in their professional or community life.”

Mr Svensen said he “completely rejected” any suggestion he is racist adding that his venue has “hosted Pride events” and supported other charities over the years.

He said: “I accept that my style of comedy will not appeal to everybody, and I respect people’s right not to like it.

“But not liking my comedy and judging whether I would make a good councillor are two completely different things.

“My decision to stand for election should ultimately be judged on what I can do for the people of Porthcawl – my commitment, my work ethic, my honesty and whether I will actually listen to residents and stand up for them.”

After Nation.Cymru reached out for a statement, Mr Svensen updated his personal Facebook page with a warning that stated: “This is a ADULT PAGE for over 18s only if your [sic] easily offended please do not follow me or look at this site.”

He later published the full details of our conversation on his Facebook page, apparently in an attempt to rally support for his behaviour, prompting some commenters to direct abusive and misogynist messages at our female journalist. Mr Svensen responded to the messages with laughing emojis.

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