Jon Scriven, a Plaid councilor in Caerphilly, South Wales, apologized and deleted the Facebook post. He has been suspended from the party pending an investigation. Opposition politicians strongly criticized the post, accusing Scriven of xenophobia and bad taste, with one saying it showed “the unacceptable face of Welsh nationalism”. Scriven posted his image earlier this month with the caption: “Ogmore-by-Sea tonight for a quick swim and make sure there are no Englishmen trying to cross the channel.” Ogmore-by-Sea is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan separated from the north coast of Somerset by the Bristol Channel. Plaid Cymru councilor John Scriven has deleted and apologized for his “mean” Facebook post. Photo: Jon Scriven Scriven deleted the post and wrote on his Facebook page: “I would like to apologize for any offense caused by my now deleted Facebook post. It was not judged badly.” He also said he had apologized to the Plaid group leader at Caerphilly County Council, Lindsay Whittle, who said he had accepted the apology. A Plaid Cymru spokesman said Scriven had been suspended from the party pending an investigation. “Cllr Scriven’s now deleted post was inappropriate and at odds with the views and values of Plaid Cymru,” they said. “He was right to apologize for any offense caused. All elected representatives of Plaid Cymru have a duty to uphold the highest standards.” There was sympathy on social media, with some people saying he clearly meant it as a joke or was taking a dig at the UK government’s attitude towards people trying to cross the Channel in small boats. South Wales Police said they were aware of a post of a man brandishing what appeared to be a rifle in Ogmore-by-Sea. Supt Michelle Conquer said: “An allegation of malicious communications has been reported to us and we are investigating the matter.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Hefin David, Labor member of the Senedd for Caerphilly, expressed his concern. He said: “Our society faces enormous challenges. We should seek to unite and address real concerns such as the cost of living crisis. Wrapping yourself in a flag and hating foreigners will not help a single person in need.” To those who posted offensive comments in response to this. Our society faces enormous challenges. We should seek to unite and address real concerns such as the cost of living crisis. Wrapping yourself in a flag and hating foreigners will not help a single person in need. https://t.co/MiozRNirUg — Hefin David MS/AS (@hef4caerphilly) August 22, 2022 Wayne David, the Labor MP for Caerphilly, added: “This really is the unacceptable face of Welsh nationalism.” This is truly the unacceptable face of Welsh nationalism. — Wayne David (@WayneDavid_MP) August 23, 2022 The Tory leader in the Welsh parliament, Andrew RT Davies, accused Scriven of “disgusting judgement”.
