What we learned from the Caerphilly by-election – and why we mustn’t allow a repeat in next May’s Senedd election

Yuliia Bond

What happened in this election wasn’t democracy – it was chaos built on lies. Leaflets full of hate, fear, and disinformation were pushed through people’s doors without a single barrier, without a single system to stop them.

And when we tried to report it – to the Electoral Commission, the Returning Officer, the police – we were passed around like a problem nobody wanted to own. If there’s a system to deal with disinformation, it’s invisible. And if it exists, it’s too slow and broken to matter.

We’ve seen how fast hate spreads when truth is left undefended. We’ve seen how easily people can be turned against each other.

One of the most painful examples was how the “Nation of Sanctuary” scheme was twisted beyond recognition. People were told it was about asylum seekers “taking resources,” when in fact, it was overwhelmingly about support with integration for Ukrainian refugees (85% of its funding) – people fleeing bombs, children dealing with trauma. That’s the truth.

But almost no one knew it. And because of that vacuum, the far-right filled it with lies. And in the middle of it all, it was the Ukrainian community itself, a small one here in Caerphilly, that had to step in to fight the misinformation – often alone, with limited support.

Solidarity 

We’re deeply grateful for the help and solidarity that came from so many people and groups – but let’s be honest: it should never fall on vulnerable communities to fight national disinformation campaigns. That’s the job of the state, the media, and every institution that claims to defend democracy.

We also need to stop pretending that this disinformation – the kind that targets refugees and asylum seekers – is just a political issue. No. It’s a safeguarding issue. It affects safety, mental health, and lives. It creates real danger for real people. And it must be treated with the same urgency as any other threat to public safety.

This must become a national discussion – not just an online argument that vanishes after election week.

We need a clear, working system to report and investigate disinformation.

We need education in schools and on television about how disinformation spreads, who profits from it, and how to recognise it before it poisons communities.

We need the truth about programmes like Nation of Sanctuary – what they are, what they cost, what they achieve/economic value for the country. Facts. Facts. Facts.

Because when lies are left to grow, they don’t just shape opinions – they hurt people.

They divide towns, they destroy trust, they make good people doubt what’s real. And let’s be honest: When the NHS is in crisis, we don’t blame doctors.

So why do we blame people trapped in hotels, forbidden to work, for the housing costs of a system that locks them there against their will?

This is not just about politics. It’s about the country Wales is becoming and the country we could still be.

We need government accountability. We need local councils that take this seriously. We need national leadership – real leadership – that confronts disinformation.

Hate

We also need the social media platforms to act. Because every time someone tries to post the truth, a wave of bots and fake accounts flood the comments with hate. It’s organised, it’s toxic, and it silences people who only want to share facts.

So here’s the truth:

We are not ready for the next election.

Not yet.

But we can be. We have time – until May 2026 – to build something stronger, fairer, smarter.

Because if we don’t, we’ll walk straight into another election built on lies. And next time, the damage won’t just be political – it will be human.

This isn’t just about votes.

It’s about what kind of country we want to be.

A place where truth still matters. Where we don’t punish the powerless for the failures of the powerful. Where no one is left alone to fight hate with their bare hands.

We’ve learned a lesson from Caerphilly – If we don’t defend truth, hate will replace it.

Now we have a chance – maybe our last chance – to do better.

I’m deeply grateful for everyone who stood with us during such a difficult time – for every message, every act of kindness, every voice that spoke against hate.

But the work isn’t over. What happened in Caerphilly must never happen again.

Yuliia Bond left her home city of Marhanetsin eastern Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion and has lived in Caerphilly since 2022.