Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP) candidates came out with guns blazing yesterday against what they said was racially charged negative advertising by the Progressive Labour Party (PLP).

"Like many Bermudians, I awoke this morning to an ad as vile and tasteless as any we've heard on this Island in recent memory," said the UBP spokesman Jamahl Simmons.

"I couldn't believe that a Bermudian wrote that ad. I can't believe that someone who grew up among us would have in their heart so much hatred."

The ad drew raucous laughter from an 800 strong crowd when it was acted out at the PLP's latest "affirmation rally" at Warriors Field on Thursday night.

But the UBP - and others - weren't laughing when it ran on Island radio stations yesterday morning.

"We are pleased that after a public outcry, the PLP decided to pull the ad," said Mr. Simmons.

"Nothing has come before us," said Murray Brown, chairman of the Broadcast Commission.

The extent of the "public outcry" is unclear, but the UBP took full advantage of the snafu at a hastily called press conference yesterday afternoon.

"Negative advertising cannot build affordable housing," said Mr. Simmons flanked by Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt and Rev Leonard Santucci.

"Negative attacks cannot make our streets safe. Negative attacks cannot provide better health care for our seniors," educate children, rejuvenate the economy or unite Bermudians.

"It can only tear us apart and divide the country."

The three reminded the media that the ruling party was yet to produce its platform. "Yesterday 800 people went to the polls with absolutely no idea of how a Smith Government will fix our housing crisis, make our streets safe or provide better health care for seniors," said Rev Santucci.

The ad, which questioned the United Bermuda Party's credibility, raised some alarm bells at the Bermuda Broadcasting Company (BBC).

BBC CEO Rick Richardson took the concerns to the Broadcast Commission through the Telecommunications Ministry.

"The telecommunications director basically stated that as far as his department was concerned there were no issues which came under the purview of the ministry," said Mr. Richardson.

He said he then discussed the concerns with his staff and the PLP. The party was asked to indemnify the station in case of any negative fallout from the ad.

The party agreed to get back to the station before 7.30 yesterday morning. Mr. Richardson said he fully expected the party to provide the indemnification before the ad's scheduled air time shortly before 8 a.m.

"By the time I arrived here, the ad had run twice and I think around 8.30 there had been a call from the PLP that the ad be pulled."

DeFontes Broadcasting was also asked to run the ad but they also received a phone call asking that it be pulled.

Station manager at DeFontes Broadcasting, Mike Bishop, said that call was the only reason why the ad was pulled.

Asked if members of the public had called to protest the ad, Mr. Richardson said there had been "some" calls on talk radio. "Absolutely not," said Mr. Bishop when asked the same question. "Not to my knowledge."

"From the piece I heard they thought the campaign had gone to a new low," Mr. Richardson said. "For the most part David (Lopes) didn't entertain any discussion on it. He tries to discourage negative discussion."

Party spokesman Walter Roban called the stations shortly after it aired to ask them not to play the ad until further notice, according to broadcasting sources.

"There may have been some ads pulled but I can't comment any further on it," said party spokesman Walter Roban.

Asked when the party would be able to clear the air he said: "In due course perhaps but I can't say anything about it right now."

"I was concerned about the use of the word shyster," Mr. Richardson said.

"I said there are some red flag words and in any media `shyster' would be one of them - it borders on defamation. I said this would raise concerns whether it was a political ad or not."

He could not say why the ad ran before the PLP's assurance of legal protection had arrived.

His concerns were "mainly legal" but also about "good taste" Mr. Richardson said.

"It's not unusual for us to ask that kind of question. And we've learned to scrutinise. Yesterday, we took the step to go to the Broadcast Commission as we do with a lot of material and no one seemed to be overly concerned and we raised the alarm."

The UBP candidates who lined up to excoriate the PLP yesterday were upset primarily at the ad's references to skin hue.

"I want to make the record real clear - Leonard Santucci is not a suntanned individual. He is a black man and he is proud to be a black man. He is not an African Bermudian, he is a black Bermudian and proud of it," said Rev Santucci.

"The Progressive Labour Party and their leadership need to know that this general election is not going to be run based on blackness. It will be run based on individual parties' preparedness to offer leadership to the country..."

He added that he would win the contest in his district hands down if it came down to colour.

"If the course of the election is based on how black an individual is, then in constituency 17, I can now declare myself the winner because I'm blacker than Wayne Perinchief."

"I stand before you as a sunburned Bermudian," said Mr. Barritt. "Sadly what we heard this morning was an attack on the UBP and its members and the use of a very nasty label... Judge us not on the colour of our skin or whether we are suntanned. But on the issues."

Mr. Simmons was asked whether there was not some hypocrisy behind his protestations when he himself had come under attack for saying that the Premier was "drunk on champagne" and "drunk on power" last year.

He said public opinion had agreed with him and that this was a matter of public conduct, not private conduct.

Asked his personal reaction to the ad and whether he had found it funny, Mr. Richardson said: "I found it to be attention getting and I chuckled. There was finally some sort of life injected into the campaign and then I put my cautious hat on. Having chuckled, I just felt there were some words in there that would push some buttons."