A Plaid Cymru councillor has been criticised after a social media post surfaced online which showed him posing with a gun on a beach and stating that he was making sure “there wasn’t any English people trying to cross the channel”. The now-deleted message appeared on Councillor Jon Scriven’s Facebook page on August 8.
The post by the councillor who represents Penyrheol in Caerphilly read: “Ogmore-by-Sea tonight for a quick swim and make sure there wasn’t any English people trying to cross the channel.”
Caerphilly's Labour Senedd Member, Hefin David, drew attention to the post by putting a screenshot on his Twitter account, stating that it was "not appropriate". His tweet has now been liked hundreds of times. Wales Online has contacted Jon Scriven and Plaid Cymru for comment. You can get more politics news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Mr Scriven has now apologised for the post. He wrote on his Facebook page: "I would like to apologise for any offence caused by my now deleted Facebook post. It was ill-judged and I have apologised to the group leader Lindsay Whittle who has accepted my apology." Plaid Cymru has yet to formally respond.
Despite this, the post has been attacked by other politicians, with Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies responding to say that he was “speechless”.
In a Tweet he said: “This is a Plaid Cymru councillor. [Plaid Cymru leader] Adam Price cannot let another scandal rage on without decisive action. This sort of xenophobic attitude is beneath us.”
The Labour member Hefin Davies also added: "At a time when our society is facing huge challenges, it's incredibly concerning to see this from a Caerphilly Plaid councillor. We should be seeking to unite people and address real concerns like the cost of living, not posting disturbing images that are calculated to divide us."
The Welsh Liberal Democrats called on Plaid Cymru to suspend the councillor, with a spokesperson stating that there was “a clear implication of violence and xenophobia in this post”.
“Whether or not it was intended as a joke or not, it is entirely inappropriate for an elected official to make such comments, when they should know better. With so much hate in politics the last few years we should be trying to build bridges, not stoke division further. Plaid Cymru must now do the right thing and suspend the councillor in question.”
Shadow Minister for Transport and Technology, Natasha Asghar MS said an investigation must be launched into the post. They said, “Not only is this post xenophobic, but the implication of violence is completely repugnant and warrants a full and proper investigation. Understandably many people have taken offence to the post and while I am pleased to hear it has been deleted, the fact it was posted in the first place is deeply troubling.
“It is imperative that both Caerphilly Council and Plaid Cymru look into this serious matter without dither and delay.”
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