Uproar as racists urge boycott of school mosque visit

Martin Shipton

A notorious far-right racist group has caused outrage after urging parents to stop their children from taking part in an educational visit to a mosque.

Voice of Wales is run from Swansea and Llanelli by convicted fraudster Dan Morgan and his fellow far-right activist Stan Robinson, who once stated that political journalist Adam Boulton should be castrated with a rusty blade.

In a Facebook post, Voice of Wales has written: “Furnace Welsh Primary School in Llanelli has recently announced a school trip to Swansea, but out of the many attractions Swansea has to offer, what will the children be doing?

“Will they go to Swansea Museum? The oldest museum in Wales? Will they go to the Waterfront Museum? Maybe the new arena or the Grand Theatre? Maybe one of the castles that’s available?

“Don’t be daft, they’re obviously going to Sketty Mosque who seem to have a conveyor belt of children attending!”

After a number of comments that seek to portray Muslims as terrorists and supporters of paedophilia, Voice of Wales states: “Islam is EVIL! DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD ATTEND!!!”

Llanelli Labour town councillor Shaun Greaney told Nation.Cymru: “We’re entering a very dark place in Welsh politics when scoundrels like the so-called Voice of Wales make such bitter and twisted racist remarks designed to incite hatred against the Muslim community attending the mosque in Sketty.

“My other concern is that it puts Furnace School at the centre of a storm of far-right extremism. Such appalling remarks should be investigated by the police. It is high time the Voice of Wales site was taken down on the basis that such comments potentially incite violence. My biggest fear surrounds young people at the school, parents and teachers who have been thrust into the front line through no fault of their own. Visiting a mosque is part of a programme aimed at teaching school students about different religions and cultures so that they can become well-informed and rounded citizens of the future.

“The bile and bigotry of Voice of Wales is aimed at creating division in our communities and I urge Dyfed-Powys Police and South Wales Police to intervene before we have a repeat of the type of scenes we saw when far-right extremists infiltrated the campaign against housing asylum seekers in the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli.

“I also urge Reform UK to denounce Voice of Wales, one of whose principals openly supports the party.”

Scam

In 2023 Dan Morgan of Voice of Wales was given a six months jail sentence suspended for 12 months for his part in a call-centre scam that involved tricking people into believing they were due substantial PPI refunds. Many of the victims, who were duped into paying £550, were elderly and vulnerable.

Far Right Watch Wales, an anti–fascist group that monitors the activities of the far right in Wales, revealed that Morgan had been using the pseudonym Dewi Draig to run a “Reform Swansea supporters” Facebook group. Later Morgan confirmed during a filmed interview that he would be supporting Reform at the next election.

While some comments beneath Voice of Wales’ Facebook post are supportive of its racist position, others are highly critical.

One stated: “This post isn’t ‘concerned about children’. It’s fear-mongering, misinformation, collective blame and emotional manipulation. If someone wrote the same post replacing Islam with Christianity, most people would instantly recognise it as bigotry.”

'Nonsense'

Another said: “This is complete nonsense. Fundamentally all religions are peaceful. It’s the minority of people who corrupt their religions and become extremists that cause the problems. And that’s true of all religions. Christian right extremists are just as dangerous as Islamic extremists. Both have a lot of the same views and goals, both twist their religions to justify their own agendas. What’s ironic is that their extremist views and actions actually go against the true tenets of their religions.”

Someone else posted a message saying: “I went to a mosque on a school trip as a child. Look at me now. Completely non-religious. You’re giving Cymru a bad name.”

A further post stated: “Have a bit more respect for our children to have the presence of mind to make up their own minds. Hopefully they will grow into better educated, more rounded and tolerant individuals than some of the previous generations.”