"The ugly face of the far-right reaches Powys," says a Mid Wales politician

On the weekend of September 13 and 14, the far-right movement calling itself ‘Patriotic Alternative’ is due to hold a camping event for its supporters near Llanafan Fawr in Powys.

 It is supposed to take place on two plots of land bought by a man called Simon Birkett from Wiltshire, who ultimately plans on creating a “whites only village” on the site.

Following messages from constituents and Plaid Cymru Councillor Elwyn Vaughan, I have contacted the council to express my sincere concerns about this camp, and make clear my view that the event should not take place.

It is deeply worrying that the ugly face of far-right extremism – which should long since have been consigned to the history books – has threatened to rear its head in Powys.

‘Patriotic Alternative’ openly threatens a principle which is absolutely central to my politics – that everyone who lives in Wales and calls it home – regardless of race, gender, religion or who they love – has the same rights and is entitled to respect and the same, equal treatment.

At the heart of their attack on this most fundamental of political values lies dangerous misinformation and conspiracy theories, often spread on social media and helped along by bots and hostile foreign governments.

The violent riots across England and Northern Ireland following the stabbings in Southport just over a year ago were an example of this, based purely on lies surrounding the perpetrators’ country of birth and religion.

It isn’t uncommon either to encounter misinformation surrounding the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary policy, which some claim is the same as an ‘open border’.

It is of course nothing of the sort – and migration policy is set at Westminster at any rate. Rather, the Nation of Sanctuary – a set of policies I am proud and unapologetic in supporting – is about respect and support for refugees who are already here, and enabling them to integrate and contribute to our society and economy.

In fact, over 80% of its funding goes towards supporting the thousands of Ukrainian refugees that have fled Putin’s brutal invasion of their country.

Faced with this wave of misinformation and the hatred it is generating, we have two options: to give in to it, or to challenge it.

We in Plaid Cymru will never shy away from our values of acceptance over intolerance; that the truth matters and that political debate shouldn’t be driven by lies; and our belief that we can rebuild our public services with grown-up policies and responsible government, not by turning our communities against each other.

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member for the Senedd for Mid and West Wales