A rainbow-painted picnic table at a shopping centre in South Wales has ignited a political battle after a Restore Britain councillor condemned it as a 'billboard' for a 'political view'. Owain Clatworthy, 22, a practising Christian, posted a photo of the table at the McArthur Glen designer outlet in Bridgend, captioning it: 'You can’t even sit down for a coffee at McArthur Glen for five minutes without being reminded of the latest mandatory ideology.'
'This isn’t about kindness or inclusion. It’s about making one political view impossible to escape in every public space,' he added. 'Ordinary people are tired of it. They just want to live their lives without every surface being turned into a billboard.'
MP responds: 'Language matters'
Bridgend MP Chris Elmore responded to Clatworthy's post, saying 'language matters'. He stated: 'Some in our community believe the freedom to be yourself is “mandatory ideology”. If that’s the case – then I welcome it, each and every day.'
Elmore added: 'For too long, LGBTQ+ persons did not feel safe in public spaces – with the tragic recent events in Berlin serving as a timely reminder that the fight for rights never ends. Hate divides, kindness unites, love unites and language always matters. I’ll always strive to work for a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.'
Councillor doubles down
Clatworthy, however, doubled down, arguing that 'freedom isn’t freedom' when it is forced on others. He shared a screengrab suggesting the rainbow represented 'God’s covenant with humanity'.
The row follows Clatworthy's history-making election as Bridgend’s youngest-ever county councillor at age 20 for Reform. He later resigned from the party over a dispute about its candidate selection process before joining Restore Britain.
