: Diolch, Brif
Weinidog. Two weeks ago, I co-presented an anti-racism motion
here in the Senedd and made the argument that all our
institutions, including the police, need to be proactive in their
anti-racism efforts. However, it has recently come to light that
South Wales
Police tried to recruit Lowri Davies, a Swansea
University student and Black Lives Matter activist, as an
informant, by ominously calling her, completely out of the blue,
and driving her around Swansea the next day for 90 minutes,
seemingly in order to gain information about BLM and other
anti-racist and left-wing groups. She described the approach as
like
'grooming to entice me into being an informant'.
The freedom to protest peacefully is a fundamental democratic
right, and we owe all of the rights that we enjoy today—economic,
social and otherwise—to groups campaigning against racism and for
equality, past and present. Does the First Minister therefore
agree with me that this type of behaviour from the police is
unacceptable in a democracy, and will he write to South Wales
Police and the UK Government expressing these concerns?
Diolch.
(First Minister of
Wales): Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I read the Member's
powerful contribution to the debate two weeks ago, and, of
course, I am aware of the very concerning reports of what
happened in the case of Lowri Davies. I can assure the Member
that these points have already been raised directly with : Diolch, Brif
Weinidog. Two weeks ago, I co-presented an anti-racism motion
here in the Senedd. I'm assured that an investigation is under
way into what is said to have taken place. For now, I think the
right thing for me to do is to await the outcome of that
investigation, and then to think of whatever further steps might
be needed when we're able to see for ourselves what that
investigation reveals.
