MUMBLES: Plaid MS calls on politicians to cut ties with ‘toxic’ far-right group over skate park racism video

A Plaid Cymru MS has called on politicians across all parties to cut ties with a far-right group, after it posted a video about the NHS doctor racially abused near Mumbles skate park.

Gwyn Williams MS, one of the three Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd for Gŵyr Abertawe, said the group should be shut out of mainstream politics altogether.

His intervention puts the focus on his constituency counterpart Francesca O’Brien MS, the Reform UK member who was among the first politicians to condemn the original abuse. Asked whether she would join the call and for her view on the video, O’Brien set out the steps she has taken since the incident.

Dr Haroon Ali, a Swansea NHS doctor, described being subjected to racist abuse near the skate park on Saturday 16 May while leaving with his two sons, aged five and two. He said three teenagers on bikes and scooters shouted a racial slur at the family repeatedly, and South Wales Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

In his original public account, Dr Ali said he had “no doubt” that certain local politicians had contributed to a rise in overt racism in the area, and called on them to stand firm in opposing it.

Williams said Voice of Wales had since produced a video that he described as victim-blaming the doctor. He said the group had targeted Dr Ali because of his activity for the Labour Party — something Williams said “in no way lessens what happened” and had made the episode worse for the family.

“I believe the Voice of Wales had no place in the legitimate political processes of our country and it behoves all politicians to distance themselves from this toxic group of people,” Williams said.

He said the responsibility for challenging racism lay with everyone. “It is our duty to call out racism whenever we see it and that includes with our own friends and family,” he said. “The path to an equal society begins at home.”

Williams added that the incident did not define the city. “Swansea is a good city full of good people and the extremists do not represent us,” he said.

He said he could not comment on the specifics of the case because it was a police matter, but urged anyone who experienced racist abuse to report it and not to be deterred by far-right activity online.

O’Brien, a former Mumbles councillor who was named Reform UK’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning this month, condemned the abuse in the strongest terms when the story first broke.

In a statement to Swansea Bay News this week, she said: “Racism is intolerable, unacceptable, and has no place in our communities or anywhere in society.” She said her priority had been to support those affected and to bring people together.

O’Brien said she had invited Dr Ali to work with her on a constructive community response, and had not wanted the matter to “descend into an angry social media debate that ultimately achieves very little and risks creating further division.”

She said she had contacted the local Neighbourhood Policing Inspector to offer her support, and that the inspector had not been aware of the incident when they spoke. Police have since shared a social media appeal for witnesses.

O’Brien said that on 20 May she had given Dr Ali several dates when she would be available to meet, and that she was “currently awaiting a response” from him.

She also said she had been in contact with Mumbles Community Council, which manages the skate park, about CCTV. O’Brien said she had learnt that Swansea Council had not granted the community council permission to use nearby lampposts to install cameras, and that she would continue to press the matter.

In her response, O’Brien focused on the practical steps she has taken rather than the video or Williams’s call for politicians to disavow the group. She said that “while other politicians are keen to discuss other media outlets and are clearly more interested in me thanking members of the public, on a post I was tagged in, I am getting on with the job.”

Williams was elected for Gŵyr Abertawe on 7 May, when Plaid Cymru topped the poll in the constituency.

Voice of Wales said it was an independent media team that questioned politicians of all parties, and rejected the idea that anyone needed to “cut ties” with it. “That’s easy — there are no ties. We don’t work with any party,” it said, adding that it was entitled to approach elected representatives and ask questions as a free press.

The Chief Officer of Mumbles Community Council said they were “deeply concerned” by reports of racial abuse in the community, adding that behaviour leaving people feeling intimidated or unwelcome “has no place here.”

The community council urged people to report any hate-related incidents to police, and asked that online discussion remain “calm, constructive and respectful” rather than becoming “politically divisive.”

It also pointed to positive work locally, including the Flip the Streets project, which challenges racism and anti-social behaviour through youth engagement and art. A community mural day was due to be held at the skate park on Sunday, with young people helping to transform the site.

Anyone with information about the incident on Saturday 16 May can contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600152970. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

MUMBLES: ‘My sons were shocked and scared’ — NHS doctor speaks out after racist abuse near Mumbles skate park
The Swansea NHS doctor’s account of the abuse that sparked a police hate crime investigation.

SWANSEA: Francesca O’Brien handed housing and planning brief as Reform UK names its first ever Senedd shadow cabinet
The Gŵyr Abertawe MS’s appointment to Reform UK’s first shadow cabinet.

Funding secured for Mumbles skatepark
How more than £270,000 of National Lottery funding helped build the skate park.

Community council asks for views on Mumbles skatepark
The consultation on the park’s future development.

Amsterdam Moves to Rein In “Fatbikes” With Park Ban

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/amsterdam-moves-to-rein-in-fatbikes-with-park-ban/

BRITON FERRY: Police throw a security ring around the docks all weekend as fears grow of bank holiday rave

Police have moved to lock down Briton Ferry Docks for the entire bank holiday weekend after fears grew of a potential illegal rave in the area.

South Wales Police have brought in special powers — known as a Section 35 dispersal order — that let officers tell anyone they suspect of being there for trouble to leave the area. Anyone who refuses can be arrested on the spot.

The order came into force on Friday evening and runs until 3pm on Sunday — meaning officers have the power to clear the docks throughout the warmest weekend of the year so far.

Police say there will be a heavy uniformed presence around the docks all weekend, both day and night.

The crackdown covers the dock area on the eastern bank of the River Neath, close to the M4 and the Briton Ferry bridge — a quiet, semi-industrial spot that police say has previously been targeted by people organising illegal music events.

So-called raves — unlicensed music gatherings, often held in remote or industrial locations — have become a particular concern over bank holiday weekends, when organisers count on long nights, good weather and the chance of getting in before police can shut them down.

Sergeant Molly Llewellyn, of South Wales Police, said the force understood people wanted to enjoy the bank holiday — but warned there were limits.

She said: “With the forthcoming bank holiday weekend and the associated warm weather forecast, it is recognised that many individuals will wish to socialise and enjoy this period. However, it is essential that all such activities take place in a safe and lawful manner.”

She added that illegal raves were not just a problem for the people attending, but for the wider community.

“Unlicensed music events, commonly referred to as ‘raves’, present significant risks not only to those in attendance but also to the wider community,” she said. “These risks include — but are not limited to — increased levels of anti-social behaviour, public disorder, violence, drug and alcohol misuse, and the presence of unsafe environments.”

People are being warned not to head to any unlicensed event they hear about over the weekend — and anyone who knows of one being planned is being asked to tip off the police.

Sgt Llewellyn said: “Members of the public are strongly advised not to attend such gatherings. Additionally, anyone with information relating to these activities is encouraged to report it to the police.”

A Section 35 order can be put in place for up to 48 hours at a time. The Briton Ferry order will run for about 72 hours in total — meaning police will have extended or renewed the powers to cover the full bank holiday.

As well as ordering people to leave, the powers also let officers seize items being used in anti-social behaviour — for example, sound equipment that could be used at an illegal event.

Anyone with information can call South Wales Police on 101, message them on social media, or pass tips anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency.

MUMBLES: ‘My sons were shocked and scared’ — NHS doctor speaks out after racist abuse near Mumbles skate park as police launch hate crime investigation

A Swansea NHS doctor has spoken of his shock and sadness after his family were subjected to racist abuse near Mumbles Skate Park — with his sons, aged five and two, present when three teenagers on bikes and scooters directed racial slurs at them.

Dr Haroon Ali described the incident in a public Facebook post on Saturday 16 May. He said he was leaving the skate park with his two young sons when the teenagers — whom he estimated to be aged between 11 and 13 — approached and shouted a racial slur at them. When he challenged them, they repeated it multiple times before riding off gleefully.

Mumbles county councillor Will Thomas, who contacted Swansea Bay News after speaking with Dr Ali, confirmed the incident took place near a pedestrian crossing a few hundred metres from the skate park.

“My sons were both shocked and scared, as well as confused about what was happening,” Dr Ali wrote, describing the moment his young boys asked him what the teenagers had been saying and why they were shouting at them. “I just feel deeply sad about this ugly event,” he added.

Dr Ali said he was born and raised in Swansea and has worked as an NHS doctor serving the city for 12 years, with his family contributing to the community for generations. He said that in all his time in Swansea he had never experienced such an overtly racist incident — let alone one directed at him in front of his children.

In his post, Dr Ali also addressed the parents of the teenagers directly. “To the parents of these boys: I hope you are proud of yourselves for raising individuals who feel comfortable spewing this kind of vicious hatred in our community,” he wrote.

Dr Ali also said he believed certain unnamed local politicians had contributed to a rise in overt racism in the area, and called on them to stand firm in their opposition to it.

South Wales Police confirmed yesterday that officers had received a report of an alleged hate crime incident near Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May. The report is currently under investigation.

One of the first politicians to respond publicly was Francesca O’Brien MS — the Reform UK member for Gŵyr Abertawe who was this week named as her party’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning. O’Brien, a former Mumbles councillor, described herself as “genuinely horrified” by what had happened.

“Let me be absolutely clear — racism is intolerable, unacceptable and has no place whatsoever in Mumbles, Swansea or anywhere else in our society,” O’Brien said. “Racism is not a left-wing issue or a right-wing issue — it is a societal issue, and every decent person should be united in condemning it and eradicating it wherever it appears.”

She said she had previously raised concerns about anti-social behaviour at the skate park during her time as a Mumbles councillor, and that Mumbles Community Council — which owns and manages the facility — had recommended CCTV coverage at the site following repeated incidents. She said she would contact the community council to ask for an update.

O’Brien issued a direct invitation to Dr Ali to work with her on a community response. “I would personally like to invite Dr Haroon Ali to work collaboratively with me in leading a constructive community response to this incident,” she said. “This cannot simply become another angry online debate that achieves nothing.”

Mumbles community councillor Ian Scott said he intended to raise the incident and wider concerns about the skate park at the community council’s full council meeting on Tuesday. The community council owns the skate park and has previously received reports of anti-social behaviour at the site.

The skate park itself has a long history. The land was leased from Swansea Council to Mumbles Community Council in 2021, following years of campaigning by local skaters and families. National Lottery funding of more than £270,000 was secured in 2022 — overcoming what the community council at the time described as numerous delays and legal wrangles — and the park officially opened in February 2023, costing nearly £350,000 in total. A community consultation on the park’s future development was launched last year.

The park has become a popular destination for skateboarders, BMX riders, scooter users and families. Saturday’s incident — and the anti-social behaviour concerns that preceded it — will now add a new dimension to the community council’s deliberations about its future.

Anyone with information about the incident near Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600152970. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Appeal over anti-social behaviour in Fazeley

https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/2026/05/16/appeal-over-anti-social-behaviour-in-fazeley/