A Welsh refugee charity has contacted the police after it received a “hostile backlash” to a video shared by Elon Musk on social media.
On 11 January, an X user posted a video of school children offering welcoming messages to refugees and advising that “the Welsh Refugee Council is here to help you” with details of the support the charity offers.
The user accused the charity of “using 12-year-old girls in ads meant to entice migrant men to come to Wales” in their post, which was shared 16,000 times, including by X owner Elon Musk to his over 200 million followers.
Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) chief executive Andrea Cleaver said the charity had received a “hostile backlash” in response to the posts and that it was now “working closely with the police and relevant authorities”.
A member of staff at the charity told BBC News that their colleagues had been abused online and received racist abuse.
A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “An allegation of malicious communications was reported at around 11.30pm on Saturday January 11 concerning a post on the social media platform X.
“The matter is being looked into by South Wales Police.”
‘Misinformation’
In a statement, Cleaver said the charity did not create or commission the video being circulated, which was from a school project in 2023 and was “never intended as an advert to encourage migration”.
WRC did reshare the video “as a positive example of young people championing messages of compassion and inclusion” but took it down “due to it being used out of context and the hostile backlash that followed”.
Cleaver said the charity was “concerned by the circulation of misinformation by individuals in positions of influence”.
She said sharing “inaccurate content” could “escalate threats toward our organisation and staff, and seek to divide communities”.
“We take any false or defamatory statements seriously and are working closely with the police and relevant authorities to address this matter,” she said.
The Wales Council for Voluntary Action said in a statement that it was “deeply concerned and disheartened to witness the recent attacks directed at the WRC on social media”.
It said: “The negative narrative being spread online is not only unfair but also entirely unfounded.
“Misinformation campaigns like this undermine the tireless efforts of organisations like WRC, which work every day to build compassion, understanding, and support within our communities.”
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