An investigation has been launched after a primary school Twitter account told the deputy Mayor of Bangor, Owen Hurcum, to “F**k off.”
In a discussion about equality, the Bangor councillor had written: “You are Welsh if you feel Welsh, being born abroad has nothing to do with that.”
The Twitter account belonging Springwood Primary School in Cardiff replied: “F**k off c**t.”
In response Cllr Hurcum tweeted: “I’m no stranger to being called things online but getting called a “C**t” by a Primary School is certainly a new one! Trust you’ll remove this tomorrow Springwood Primary.”
The tweet remained on the school’s Twitter account until the next day before being deleted. It was tweeted during school hours along with additional tweets unrelated to the matter throughout the day.
The south Wales school said “unauthorised access” had been gained to its profile and that an “extremely vulnerable individual” linked to the school had been responsible.
In a joint statement from Springwood Primary School and Cardiff Council, a spokesperson said: “It has been brought to our attention that this account has been used inappropriately with offensive language.
“These are not the views of Springwood Primary school which prides itself on being an inclusive school which values equity and equality for all.
“A full investigation is being carried out and initial findings show that there has been unauthorised access to the school’s twitter account, no employees were involved, and that an extremely vulnerable individual was responsible for sending the message.
“Whilst the investigation continues, protocols and additional safeguards have been put in place to prevent any further misuse.”
Speaking to North Wales Live, Cllr Hurcum, who identifies as genderqueer, said: “The sad reality is that we unfortunately live in a world where being a public queer figure results in online abuse and hate comments being almost an everyday part of our lives.
“What isn’t everyday is for such bigotry to come from the account of a primary school.
“I do thank the school for taking swift action in deleting the tweet the next day.”
