Welsh Refugee Council staff ‘harassed’ after Musk shares X post | Global News Avenue

Staff at a refugee charity said colleagues’ lives were being “threatened” after Elon Musk shared a post suggesting a video of girls was being used to “lure” immigrants to the UK.

The Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) said staff and volunteers were being harassed online after a 2023 video was shared on the billionaire entrepreneur’s social media site X.

The WRC said the video, which featured a group of girls explaining why Wales is a country that welcomes refugees, was produced as a school project.

The company said it took “false and defamatory claims” seriously, while the Welsh Government said the allegations related to the video were “completely irresponsible”.

South Wales Police said it was investigating allegations of malicious communications.

The post, shared by one account and retweeted by Musk, which has been viewed more than 5.5 million times, accused the charity of “using 12-year-old girls… to lure male immigrants to Wales.”

Andrew RT Davies, the former Conservative leader of the Welsh Assembly, also posted on X, accusing Welsh Labor government ministers of using schoolchildren as “propaganda” to promote “ideologically motivated projects”.

Davis added that it was “very inappropriate for a political organization to go into schools and use children for propaganda like this”.

The WRC said it was referring Davis’ comments to the Senate Standards Commissioner.

Davies responded: “The UK has a track record of helping those in need, but primary school children should not be in a video like this. I will not apologize for it.”

The Welsh Conservatives said they would not comment on the decision to recommend Davis.

Andrea Cleaver, chief executive of the WRC, said the video was “not intended as an ad to encourage immigration, but rather to demonstrate student motivation”.

The charity said the video was removed shortly after being posted due to “hostile backlash” and being “taken out of context”.

A staff member at the charity, who asked not to be named, said the abuse their colleagues had received in recent days had left them feeling “physically ill”.

They said: “This is likely to have a direct impact on the lives of the babies, children and vulnerable women I work with, some of whom have already been victims of hate crime in the UK.”

“It makes me physically sick to hear that my colleagues have been abused online and have had their lives threatened as a result of these actions.”

Another colleague said they were “frustrated” by some of the messages they had received.

They said: “This undermines our efforts to help others start a new life in Wales and feel safe.”

“I am particularly frustrated by the wave of racist comments directed at staff.

“Wales welcomes us with open arms and provides us with the security we seek.”

The WRC was established over 30 years ago to provide advice and support to refugees arriving in Wales.

Ms Cleaver said in a statement that the charity would “urge everyone to seek the facts before sharing or endorsing inaccurate content”.

She said: “The Welsh Refugee Council wishes to clarify that we did not produce or commission the video currently circulating.”

“While we were not involved in its production, we re-shared the post as a positive example of young people championing messages of compassion and inclusion.

“We take any false or defamatory statements seriously and are working closely with the police and relevant authorities to resolve the matter.

“The Refugee Council of Wales is steadfast in our mission to support asylum seekers and refugees, promote understanding and promote inclusion”.

The Welsh Government said: “The claims made in relation to this video are untrue and completely irresponsible.

“The video was made by a group of young children to show their school was a welcoming place. The video was withdrawn in 2023 after the school received widespread online abuse.

“Anyone who cares about the safety of our young people should not share false claims about them.”

South Wales Police said: “At around 11.30pm on Saturday 11 January, someone reported a post on social media platform ‘X’ involving malicious communications.

“South Wales Police are investigating the matter.”

BBC Wales has attempted to contact X for comment.

Andrew RT Davies’ social media posts that spark controversy or spark outrage have become a recurring theme in Welsh politics over the past 12 months or so.

In his response to the latest controversy, he made no apology but clearly focused on one element of the story: the inappropriate use of schoolchildren in the video.

The Welsh Conservatives’ Senate leadership declined to comment, but the question remains whether Davis’s activity on social media will distract the party’s new leader Darren Miller or anger some of his colleagues.

Davis’ 2024 posts angered seven of his fellow lawmakers so much that they forced a vote of confidence in him, This ultimately failed him.