Lib Dem Senedd candidate ‘deeply regrets’ offensive chatroom comments uncovered by Nation.Cymru

Emily Price

A Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd election candidate has apologised and will withdraw from campaigning after offensive comments were uncovered by Nation.Cymru in an online chatroom.

Iwan Elliot Thomas was selected to stand sixth on the Liberal Democrats list in the Sir Fynwy Torfaen constituency in the May 7 Senedd election.

He also works as a campaign organiser for Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds and Member of Parliament David Chadwick.

Until last year, Thomas was a student at Aberystwyth University, where he served as an administrator of an unofficial Discord chatroom with around 600 members.

The communication app is an invite-only virtual community hub designed for chatting via text, voice, or video.

Screenshots obtained by Nation.Cymru showed that between 2023 and 2024, Thomas posted a series of offensive comments about women in the chatroom and repeatedly described himself as a “Welsh communist and “anarchist”.

During one discussion with members of the Discord group, Thomas wrote: “Me trying to figure out the entire fucking game. Stupid game. I just want to live out my Communist Wales dreams.”

In another message sent in April 2024 during a chatroom discussion about whether he should study in America, Thomas wrote: “I’d get skewered immediately for being a Communist”.

It is unclear why Thomas was selected to stand for the Welsh Liberal Democrats in next month’s Senedd election, given the party does not share communist values.

Clash

In a message posted during the 2024 general election campaign, Thomas also appeared to mock the party he would later seek to represent in the Senedd.

Responding to a commenter who wrote “vote for Plaid Cymru” Thomas said: “Vote Plaid. Vote Green. Vote SNP. Vote LibDems” – followed by a crying emoji.

“Vote independents if they are decent. Avoid Workers Party please they are terf central,” he added.

In separate post, Thomas made a misogynistic remark about a woman he had clashed with in an online dispute on X, formerly Twitter.

He wrote: “Terfs usually can’t defend their views so they clasp onto an insult they can use against their opponent and do nothing but use.

“I.e. I am a man complaining about a woman, therefore I must be a misogynist.

“She wouldn’t ever respond to my questions or statements just keep calling me a misogynist and fat.

“Vile woman I hope her menopause is horrific.”

Abuse

TERF stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” and refers to a strand of feminism that rejects the inclusion of transgender women as women – particularly in women-only spaces.

The Discord chatroom overseen by Thomas made headlines in August 2023 after a women’s officer at Aberystwyth University Students’ Union resigned, saying she had been subjected to online abuse and threats of violence because of her views on women’s rights.

Ms Davies reported the messages circulating in the server to the students’ union, prompting action that led to one student being suspended from society committees for three months.

A subsequent university investigation dismissed allegations of transphobia against Ms Davies.

Screen grabs from the chatroom show that Thomas himself had waded into the row, making light of a message posted by an individual who threatened to stab Ms Davies.

In a comment published by Thomas in the chatroom, he said the threatening post was “not a great message” but added that it was “not a serious one either”.

‘Creature’

In a separate message about Ms Davies, he wrote: “For any freshers dw [don’t worry] Aberystwyth is still a great uni, just people like Charlotte make this uni worse.”

In a further Discord post, Thomas referred to Ms Davies as a “creature”.

He wrote: “Just wana say this is a great uni with even greater students, one which is super open and welcoming.

“Just a shame we have a few creatures like Charlotte.”

Nominations for the May 7 Welsh election have now closed meaning Thomas cannot withdraw as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats.

However, the party has confirmed he will no longer take part in any campaigning in Sir Fynwy Torfaen.

Apology 

With polling predicting the Welsh Lib Dems could be wiped out in the Senedd following the May 7 vote, it is highly unlikely that Thomas would have won a seat.

A Welsh Liberal Democrats spokesperson said: “Iwan has apologised for his comments and deeply regrets making them.

“There is no place for this type of behaviour within the Liberal Democrats and our society.

“Iwan will be stepping back from campaigning in the Sir Fynwy Torfaen constituency in the upcoming election and has agreed to take up appropriate training.”