Schoolgirls promote Wales to migrants

A video in which two young secondary pupils welcome refugees to Wales has sparked a backlash.

The two schoolgirls highlight the help that successful asylum seekers can expect from the Welsh Refugee Council and other agencies in a video produced by their school in South Wales that was posted on social media.

The post was re-shared on social media by the Welsh Refugee Council, prompting a backlash against the use of young girls to promote Wales’s approach to refugees. It was taken down by the girls’ school within days of it being posted last year.

Copies of the video have, however, since resurfaced on social media and were re-posted at the weekend on X, formerly Twitter, by Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform.

He claimed that 12-year-old girls were being used to “entice migrant men to come to Wales”.

The renewed focus on the video has coincided with the political row over grooming gangs, with Mr Musk, a vocal critic of Sir Keir Starmer, leading demands echoed by Tory MPs for a national inquiry into the scandal.

The calls have been rejected by Sir Keir, who has accused Mr Musk, a key ally of Donald Trump, of “lies and misinformation” amplifying the “poison” of the far-Right.

‘Deeply irresponsible’

But Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, added to the criticism, saying: “It was deeply irresponsible for the Welsh Refugee Council to share a video featuring only young girls in the first place, especially in light of the long-standing grooming gangs scandal. It is right that they took it down, but they should never have shared it in the first place.”

In a statement on Monday, the Welsh Refugee Council hit back, saying it was “concerned” over the circulation of “misinformation by individuals in positions of influence”, which could “escalate threats and unwarranted attention toward our organisation, staff and others”.

The video was produced after a visit to the school last year from the Welsh Refugee Council focused on Ukrainian refugees. The two girls then produced a video, entitled Welcome to Wales, which the Council said made it “loud and clear sanctuary seekers are welcome in Wales as well as signposting refugees and asylum seekers to the services we provide”.

“Wales is seen as a nation of sanctuary. We welcome anyone and everyone. We recognise your skills and talents,” said one of the girls.

“The Welsh Refugee Council offers a lot of support,” said the second girl, before they set out the help provided with learning English, finding a job and getting healthcare.

‘Never intended as an advert’

Andrea Cleaver, chief executive of the Welsh Refugee Council, said: “In 2023, a video from a school, welcoming refugees was released. It was never intended as an advert to encourage migration and was uploaded by the school to social media to show the positivity of pupils.

“The Welsh Refugee Council would like to clarify that we did not create or commission the school video being circulated. While we were not involved in its production, we shared it as a positive example of young people championing messages of compassion and inclusion.

“In 2023, the video was subsequently taken down by the school, as were our social media messages which had shared it. What is being circulated since, are videos that people have taken of that video.”

One X account with more than 170,000 followers posted it with the statement: “In Wales, the Welsh Refugee Council is using 12-year-old girls in ads meant to entice migrant men to come to Wales.”

This was then subject to a community note by readers, which said the school project was originally targeted towards Ukrainian refugees.

It said: “Whilst supported by the Welsh Refugee Council, it was not an advert as the original post claims.”

Ms Cleaver said: “We take any false or defamatory statements seriously and are working closely with the police and relevant authorities to address this matter.”

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