Calls for Reform branch chair to apologise over ‘misleading’ AI refugee post

Emily Price 

Strong calls have been made for the chair of a Reform branch to issue a public apology after she defended the use of an AI image on Facebook which suggested Black people were being given social housing ahead of locals in Caerphilly.

Serious concerns were raised about the safety of refugees on Tuesday (August 25) after Reform’s Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly Rhymney Facebook account published a post detailing how it had found out via a Freedom of Information request that 18 refugees had obtained council homes in the last three years.

However, the post appeared to conflate people with official refugee status with asylum seekers, who are not eligible for social housing.

It also included a deepfake image of a queue of 24 Black asylum seekers, mostly men, queuing on a housing estate, with the man at the front of the line holding out his hand.

The post was amplified by Casnewydd Islwyn MS Art Wright, who claimed that the safety of Caerphilly residents was being put at risk by “unvetted asylum seekers housed next door to them”.

Refugees are not unvetted asylum seekers. They have been granted the legal right to live and work in the UK which permits them to join council waiting lists on the same terms as other applicants.

They do not automatically receive priority or jump the queue ahead of local people.

Asylum seekers still waiting for a decision on their asylum claim cannot access social housing or join social housing waiting lists.

When social media commentators questioned Reform’s use of the AI image, the Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly Rhymney branch argued it was “representative of asylum seeker demographics”.

Dozens of residents living in Caerphilly reported that when they challenged the branch’s Facebook post, their comments were deleted and access to the branch’s Facebook page blocked.

Nation.Cymru invited Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly Rhymney branch chair Jan Walsh to comment on the use of the synthetic image and asked if she understood the difference between refugees and asylum seekers, but she did not respond.

Later when we published a story about the controversial post, Ms Walsh posted a comment to our Facebook page claiming the concerns were that of our outlet only.

Her remarks sparked a wave of social media users to challenge her directly, alongside calls for the branch to participate in an urgent public meeting to discuss the abuse already faced by refugees living in Caerphilly.

Calls for a public “peaceful” discussion were headed by prominent Ukrainian refugee Yuliia Bond.

In a post to Facebook, tagging the branch chair, Ms Bond said: “There is still one very basic question that needs answering.

“Why does the post talk about ‘asylum seekers’ in relation to social housing when people waiting for an asylum decision are generally accommodated through the separate Home Office asylum-support system rather than simply being placed on the ordinary social housing register?

“People who have been granted refugee status are different. Their need for protection has been recognised and they may then become eligible for mainstream housing assistance, subject to the relevant housing rules and assessment of need. That distinction matters.

“If you tell thousands of people who are understandably angry about housing that ‘asylum seekers’ are getting homes they cannot get, you have a responsibility to make absolutely sure what you are telling them is accurate.”

Ms Walsh responded saying she would be happy to meet with Ms Bond, but only on a one to one basis.

She said: “I will not be pilloried for a post on Facebook which was twisted by Nation.Cymru who spend most of the time attacking Reform.

“The figures are available following FOIs. By the way, I would not have seen your public post had I not been intrigued as to who you were…and taken a look on here.

“Someone alerted the branch about the Nation.Cymru post… just setting the scene that I don’t hide from my beliefs and Im happy to chat with you on an individual basis.

“I shall also find out who was blocked from commenting by my colleagues who manage the account.”

Ms Bond replied saying that although she would be happy to take part in a one to one meeting, she felt it was important that the Reform branch issued a public response first.

She said: “I personally know families who have already been targeted in their homes.

“So when inaccurate messaging directs public anger towards a group of vulnerable people, I see a safeguarding risk, not just a political disagreement.

“That is why a private conversation cannot be the first answer to a public post.

“Please publicly acknowledge the distinction, correct the misleading impression and apologise to the people who were misrepresented.

“If you do that, I will genuinely be very happy to sit down with you afterwards, have a coffee, hear your concerns and have a respectful conversation. But a public message needs a public correction.”

Ms Walsh did not respond to the Ukrainian’s remarks.

We contacted the branch chair directly and asked if she could provide the details of the Freedom of Information request she had obtained regarding the 18 refugees living in social housing in Caerphilly and if it included their ethnicity and if they were men, women or children.

Ms Walsh did not respond.

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