Chelsea racism video: Aunt of man claimed to be in footage defends 'lovely, gentle boy' who was pictured with Nigel Farage

Former public schoolboy Josh Parsons named as among a group of Chelsea fans

Josh Parsons with Ukip leader Nigel Farage

The family of a man suspected of being on a train with a group of Chelsea fans seen chanting racial abuse in Paris has defended him as a “lovely, gentle boy”.

Josh Parsons, a former public schoolboy, has been identified on social media as on the same train as a group of Chelsea fans who were filmed pushing a black man off a metro carriage and back onto the platform.

Some of the group were also later filmed shouting: “We’re racist, we’re racist, and that’s the way we like it.”

There is no suggestion that Mr Parsons, an assistant at a financial services firm who was recently pictured with the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, was involved in either pushing the man or chanting racial abuse.

Mr Parsons’s aunt Louise told The Evening Standard her nephew was "a lovely boy and has never been in any trouble".

“He is a lifelong Chelsea fan and that has never been a problem," she said. "I have seen the footage but have not yet spoken to him. We do not know what to make of it but it is a shock to the family. He is a lovely gentle boy who would not hurt anyone."

Chelsea fans refused to allow the commuter to board the carriage

Mr Farage defended the image on his Twitter account, where he said he often posed for pictures with members of the public.

The victim, named in French media as Souleymane S, has told Le Parisian that he plans to complain to the police.

“These people, these English supporters ought to be found, punished and ought to be locked up. What happened should not go unpunished," he told the paper.

He said he was unaware the incident had been filmed until he saw it in the press.

“I don't speak a word of English. I understood that they were Chelsea fans, and I made the connection with the PSG match, which was taking place the same evening.

“I also understood that they were attacking me because of the colour of my skin. You know, I live with racism, I was not really surprised by what happened to me, even if it was a first in the Metro."

Mr Parson’s boss also defended him today, saying he is "not that type of person at all (to have taken part in racist chants)".

"He works with me and I’m not English," she added. “He is a 21-year-old little boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

A spokesperson for Ukip said: “Neither Mr Parsons nor his brother are members of Ukip, and we have never heard of him. This photograph was taken outside a London pub. Mr Farage is photographed with and by dozens of people, both by supporters and opponents on a daily basis.

“Ukip and Mr Farage find the behaviour of the suspected Chelsea fans on the Paris Metro to be disgraceful, and shames both the country and Chelsea Football Club. "