Reform UK councillor slammed in Senedd over parents meeting with far-right group

Emily Price 

Politicians in the Senedd have slammed the “politically motivated behaviour” of a Reform UK councillor who chaired a meeting with parents and a far-right group to promote misinformation about a Swansea school.

Last month, Nation.Cymru reported how Mumbles Councillor Francesca O’Brien had led a public meeting in Mayhill with parents from Sea View Primary School to discuss allegations about religious education lessons.

O’Brien claimed that during a religious lesson taught by a representative from a local mosque, pupils at the school were forced to pray on Muslim mats and recite prayers from the Quran.

She also claimed that Christianity wasn’t getting the same representation in lessons on religion at the primary school.

Swansea Council strongly refuted the allegations branding them “misinformation”.

The claims had been amplified online by members of the far-right group Voice of Wales.

The anti-Islam group is led by failed UKIP candidate Stan Robinson and convicted fraudster Dan Morgan.

The pair have links to anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.

Cllr O’Brien was later accused of “inciting hate” and causing stress to the teachers that work at Sea View Primary School.

In the Senedd on Wednesday (November 12), South Wales West Senedd Member Tom Giffard raised concerns about the safety of teachers at the school following Cllr O’ Brien’s allegations.

In an exchange with Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle, Mr Giffard said: “You’ll probably be aware that, last month, Sea View Community Primary School in Swansea was at the centre of a media storm, when Swansea’s only Reform UK councillor teamed up and chaired a public meeting, seemingly organised by conspiracy theorist groups with links to the English Defence League, to tell parents and others that their children were being taught Islamic prayer in their school, that they would pray on mats and recite Koranic verses, and that they would all be Muslim by year 6.

“The problem is that none of that is true, and I understand that staff and others associated with the school have been subject to verbal threats and abuse, and have feared for their safety as a result of those false claims.

“Facts matter, Cabinet Secretary, and those in public life have a responsibility to the facts. Misinformation like this absolutely needs to be called out, wherever it is perpetuated, because it puts staff and others at risk.

“So, will you join me today in condemning that action and the consequences that has caused?”

‘Dismayed’

Responding, the Education Secretary accused Cllr O’Brien of “politically motivated behaviour”.

She said: “I was really sorry and dismayed to hear of the reactions to the actions of the school, who were teaching children about different faiths.

“And I know that a number of staff at the school were very upset by the reaction and by comments made about the school.

“There is no place for this in our education system. Teachers and pupils should not be made to feel unsafe in their place of work for just doing their job.”

Ms Neagle went on to explain that religion, values and ethics is a mandatory part of the Wales’ curriculum and is legally required to be factual and objective.

She said that although it takes into account different religions, it also reflects that religious traditions in Wales are mainly Christian.

‘Sad’

The Education Secretary added: “I very much regret the fact that Sea View was subjected to that politically motivated behaviour.

“We are looking, as a Government, at what more we can do to support schools who get targeted in that way—a sad reflection of the society we live in.

“Facts matter, and schools and children should not be targeted by misinformation or feel threatened in this way, ever.”

Following Cllr O’Brien’s meeting with parents and Voice of Wales she strongly refuted allegations that she was working with the far-right.

In a video published to Facebook, she said she had chaired the meeting in Mayhill to listen to parents – but had no control over who attended.

She said: “I was warned just before going that a couple of members might be there from a certain organisation – I’m not going to stop them. It’s a public meeting.”

‘Lovely’

Cllr O’Brien defected to Nigel Farage’s party from the Welsh Conservatives in August leaving the employment of Tory Senedd Member Tom Giffard.

Following Cllr O’Brien’s meeting with Voice of Wales, it transpired that when she was a Tory councillor she had posed for photos during a “lovely” visit to the same mosque that provided the religious studies lesson she criticised after defecting to Reform UK.

Cllr O’Brien is expected to stand for Reform UK for the same constituency seat as her former employer at the Senedd election next year.

Francesca O’Brien was invited to comment.