AN OWNER of a gallery hosting an exhibition on refugees and Palestine has blamed comments made by Nigel Farage for a vandalism attack on his venue.

Curator Gil Mualem Doron said a pint glass was thrown through the window of the Socially Engaged Art Salon (SEAS) just hours after the UKIP leader declared that violence on the streets could be the “next step” if immigration is not controlled.

Mr Doron said he believed the Brighton venue could have been targeted because works in the exhibition included anti-UKIP posters and reinterpretations of the Union Jack.

But he said he would not be cowed by the incident and vowed to continue with the exhibition and extend its opening to coincide with a far-right march through the city next month.

The incident happened at about 12.30am on Wednesday morning when two young men were heard shouting in Steine Gardens before a glass was thrown through the window.

The incident came hours after Mr Farage made much-criticised comments warning violence on the streets would be the next step if immigration was not controlled.

SEAS has been running Displacement – an exhibition about refugees, homelessness and Palestine as part of the Artists Open Houses.

It includes posters mocking UKIP, works commemorating the expulsion of Palestinians from their homelands in 1948, drawings by a young Syrian refugee artist Heba Rezk and redesigns of the Union Jack.

SEAS founder Mr Doron said: “When in an interview about the exhibition I said that the art here can move people and cause them to act, I didn’t imagine this.

“Definitely not in Brighton.

“Coming from Israel, I know that when politicians express these kind of opinions, it leads to this kind of behaviour.

“You could have two people in a pub who have had too much to drink who might have heard these comments, although obviously at the moment we can’t say for sure it’s related.”

On June 4, far-right extremists will march through Brighton, but Mr Doron said he would continue the exhibition as usual despite the incident, including children and adult workshops planned for the next two weekends.

A UKIP spokesman said it totally condemns any violence or vandalism.

A police spokesman said: “Because of the link to the art exhibition, the incident is being treated as a hate crime and police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting serial 178 of May 18.”