Questions have emerged regarding how an extremist organisation gained entry to a council chamber in Bridgend for an interview with a local elected member, after that councillor responded to criticism with abusive language.
Stan Robinson and Dan Morgan, founders of the anti-Islam group Voice of Wales, arrived at Bridgend’s civic offices on Thursday with claims that they were journalists seeking an interview with Restore Britain representative Owain Clatworthy.
He stated that he had nothing to lose.
Prior to the interview, Morgan, who received a suspended prison sentence in 2023 for his involvement in an extensive insurance fraud scheme that affected numerous individuals, was filmed making an offensive gesture at the camera while Robinson stood alongside him smiling.
Morgan asserted that he was entering the council building as a member of the media and expressed curiosity about how senior Labour figures would react.
Morgan’s co-founder Robinson previously stood unsuccessfully as a UKIP candidate.
Their organisation has encountered widespread condemnation and removal from platforms for promoting racism, hate speech and anti-immigrant messaging.
In 2021, Voice of Wales faced criticism from politicians and equality organisations after its YouTube channel featured interviews with members of the Proud Boys, a United States far-right organisation prohibited in Canada, as well as controversial figures such as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known as Tommy Robinson.
The channel was subsequently removed by YouTube for repeatedly contravening policies on hate speech.
Robinson commenced proceedings by describing the councillor in complimentary terms.
The conversation covered homelessness within the county, with Cllr Clatworthy asserting that military veterans were being disadvantaged.
He suggested that the Labour council leader John Spanswick should accommodate individuals he described as illegal migrants in his own residence.
The interview included footage of local children greeting refugees arriving in Wales.
Cllr Clatworthy declared that whoever sanctioned that video should face imprisonment.
He further claimed that numerous individuals entering the UK through irregular means were perpetrators with specific religious ideologies, and accused fellow councillors of wishing to receive them favourably.
Bridgend Council declined to explain how the group accessed the chamber, responding only that the filming occurred entirely without council involvement or participation.
Cllr Clatworthy, who represents Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr, has previously faced allegations of racism and homophobia related to inflammatory social media content, along with formal complaints regarding his conduct.
Last month, restrictions were placed on his participation in a local veterans group due to concerns about the wellbeing, safety and enjoyment of other members.
This followed calls for his resignation over an inaccurate claim that a convicted sex offender who is transgender had been freed into Bridgend.
South Wales Police clarified that the individual remains in custody until May 2027.
Subsequently, Cllr Clatworthy made additional inaccurate statements concerning arrest figures from a joint police and immigration operation in Bridgend.
Police confirmed four arrests at a distribution facility, while the councillor asserted on social media that the actual number was more than double that figure.
In July, he attracted national attention after sharing an image of a rainbow-coloured seating area at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Bridgend, describing it as an imposition of mandatory ideology on the public.