Restore Britain councillor branded ‘homophobic’ after being ‘triggered’ by rainbow picnic table

Emily Price

A Restore Britain councillor has faced accusations of homophobia after claiming that a rainbow-coloured picnic table at a shopping centre represented “mandatory ideology” and a “political view” that was “impossible to escape”.

Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr councillor Owain Clatworthy was branded a “bigot” after he shared an image to Facebook on Tuesday (July 28) of a rainbow painted picnic bench outside a Marks & Spencer store at the McArthur Glen designer outlet in Bridgend.

Cllr Clatworthy wrote: “You can’t even sit down for a coffee at McArthur Glen for five minutes without being reminded of the latest mandatory ideology.

“This isn’t about kindness or inclusion. It’s about making one political view impossible to escape in every public space.

“Ordinary people are tired of it. They just want to live their lives without every surface being turned into a billboard.”

The post attracted tens of thousands of comments from users who mocked the Restore councillor for becoming “triggered” by the table.

‘Freedom’

He was accused of homophobia, with some arguing that people’s sexualities and gender identities were not political issues.

Cllr Clatworthy’s post was also shared in the private Facebook group ‘TEGAN DELETE THIS FFS’, which has more than 70,000 members.

The group’s name is a reference to a viral internet meme that originated from a frantic plea to delete an embarrassing social media post.

Since then, the phrase has become shorthand for mocking online blunders and social media own goals.

Cllr Clatworthy claimed that the high level of engagement on the image of the multi-coloured table indicated that he was “on the side of common sense”.

Commentators questioned the nature of some of the engagement on Cllr Clatworthy’s post, suggesting that a significant proportion came from bot accounts, while more than 10,000 genuine comments were critical of his views.

‘Love unites’

Bridgend MP Chris Elmore said: “Some in our community believe the freedom to be yourself is ‘mandatory ideology’.

“If that’s the case – then I welcome it, each and every day.

“For too long, LGBTQ+ persons did not feel safe in public spaces – with the tragic recent events in Berlin serving as a timely reminder that the fight for rights never ends.

“Hate divides, kindness unites, love unites and language always matters.

“I’ll always strive to work for a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.”

Hitting back, Cllr Clatworthy said: “Chris, you say some people call ‘freedom to be yourself’ a mandatory ideology and you welcome it. That’s exactly the problem.

“Freedom isn’t freedom when it forces everyone to affirm contested ideas about sex, identity and speech. That’s just a new orthodoxy dressed up as liberty.”

The 22-year-old practising Christian later published a screen grab of a post by fellow Restore councillor Paul Young who said that long before the rainbow became a symbol of the Pride movement, it represented “God’s covenant with humanity”.

Some Bridgend sources have suggested that Cllr Clatworthy’s increasingly controversial posts were driven by the attention and publicity they generated for him.

A source said: “This is Owain getting what he wants. He doesn’t see himself as a politician, he sees himself as a public figure.

“He wants the attention and will agitate as much as possible to achieve it

“He is causing hurt and division. He should concentrate on the matters he was elected to do.”

Last year, Cllr Clatworthy, who was brought up in the care system, made history when he became Bridgend’s youngest-ever county councillor at 20-years-old under Reform’s banner.

Shortly after narrowly defeating the Labour candidate by 30 votes, it emerged that he had tried to join the council’s ruling Labour group, saying he couldn’t stand Nigel Farage.

Cllr Clatworthy was unveiled as Reform’s sixth placed Senedd election candidate for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg in the spring, but resigned from the party following a dispute over its candidate selection process.

Although he initially said he intended to remain an Independent councillor in Bridgend, he later announced that he had joined Rupert Lowe’s party.

Since joining Restore Britain he has published a significant number of controversial social media posts, some of which have been branded “divisive” and “racist” by Bridgend councillors.

This week he lashed out at educators who encourage “slow” children to have ambitions.

‘Harder’

In a post to Facebook, Cllr Clatworthy wrote: “If you’re slow, life will be harder. If you’re not bright, some doors will stay shut. Not everyone can do everything. That’s just reality.

“This constant ‘you’re special just for existing’ messaging is producing a generation of entitled narcissists who collapse the moment reality hits. Stop lying to kids. Tell them the truth.”

He has also said that “Islam is not compatible with Western civilisation” and that “multiculturalism is a failure”.

Earlier this month, Cllr Clatworthy took aim at the Church, claiming it had turned Jesus into a “timid woke wimp”.

He later sparked a heated row by describing a town centre as a “complete dump”.

It is understood that several complaints about Cllr Clatworthy’s conduct have been submitted to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales but that so far the independent body hadn’t launched a probe.

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