Emily Price
Questions are being raised about how a Bridgend councillor was able to bring an extremist group into a council chamber for a sycophantic interview before telling critics to “go fuck themselves”.
Founders of anti-Islam hate group Voice of Wales, Stan Robinson and Dan Morgan, arrived at Bridgend’s civic offices on Thursday (October 16) claiming to be journalists there to conduct an interview with Restore Britain councillor Owain Clatworthy.
Clips of the interview posted by the group to Facebook showed Cllr Clatworthy saying he “couldn’t give two shits” about calls for his resignation.
He said anyone who called him far-right or a bigot could “go fuck themselves”, later adding that he had “nothing to lose”.
In footage shot before the exchange, convicted fraudster Morgan was seen sticking his middle finger up at the camera as his partner Robinson grinned beside him.
Pointing at the council offices, he said: “We do wonder what the Labour leader and deputy leader are going to think about us going in there, but ultimately we are the media…”
Morgan was handed a suspended prison sentence in 2023 for his involvement in a massive insurance scam that robbed hundreds of ordinary people of their savings.
His group’s co-founder Robinson is a failed UKIP election candidate.
Their group has faced widespread criticism and platform bans for promoting racism, hate speech, and divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric.
In 2021, politicians and race equality groups condemned the Voice of Wales YouTube channel for interviewing members of the Proud Boys, an American far-right group banned in Canada, and controversial figures including former English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.
The channel was later removed after it repeatedly violated YouTube’s policies regarding hate speech and abusive content.
Voice of Wales entered Bridgend council’s debating chamber yesterday to conduct several one to one interviews with Cllr Clatworthy which were filmed for the group’s Facebook page.
Stan Robinson began his fawning line of questioning by telling the Restore Britain councillor he was “superb”.
The pair went on to discuss homelessness in the county, with Cllr Clatworthy alleging that veterans were being pushed to the back of queue.
He told Voice of Wales that Bridgend Council’s Labour leader, John Spanswick, should offer a room in his own home to what he called “illegal migrant invaders”.
Voice of Wales then inserted a clip of local school children welcoming refugees to Wales.
Cllr Clatworthy said who ever authorised the video should be “chucked in jail”.
He went on to claim that many “illegal migrant invaders” coming to the UK were rapists with “Muslim ideology”, adding that the “traitors” at Bridgend Council wanted to welcome them “with open arms”.
Nation.Cymru asked Bridgend Council how a far-right group was able to gain access to the council chamber.
A council spokesman would only say: “The film was made entirely without the involvement or participation of Bridgend County Borough Council.”
Cllr Clatworthy, who represents Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr, has faced accusations of racism and homophobia over a series of inflammatory social media posts, as well as formal complaints about his conduct.
Last month, he was banned from attending his local Veterans Association over fears for the “welfare, safety, or enjoyment” of other members.
It came after after he faced calls to resign over a false claim that a transgender paedophile had been released from prison back onto the streets of Bridgend.
South Wales Police later confirmed that this was not true and that the sex offender is due to remain in custody until May 2027.
Weeks later, Cllr Clatworthy made further false claims about the number of arrests made as part of a police operation in Bridgend with immigration officers.
South Wales Police said that four arrests had been made as a result of the probe at a parcel depot.
But Cllr Clatworthy took to social media to claim the force had misled the public, alleging the number of arrests was more than double the figure confirmed by officers.
In July, he made national news when he shared a photo of a rainbow-painted picnic table at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Bridgend.
In his post, he criticised the bench as an example of “mandatory ideology” being forced onto the public.
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