The leader of Wrexham Council Cllr. Sian Wilkinson has been quoted as saying that the two day race riot and police siege in Caia Park, Wrexham can be likened to a mob hunting for paedophiles. According to Ms Wilkinson, there were about 60 or 70 asylum seekers in the borough and in Caia Park, where the trouble flared, but that the number of refugees was low.She added: “What we saw last night is not that different from when you see mobs of people hunting for paedophiles.What is extra-ordinary about this statement is that Cllr Wilkinson’s remarks might well be taken to excuse such behaviour. Not withstanding society’s revulsion of paedophilia (which all in FACT share) her remarks are all the more inflamatory because the Queens Park estate in Wrexham (of which Caia Park covers a significant area) houses a considerable number of ex residents of the care system who made complaints to the North Wales Police and to the Waterhouse Tribunal.
In a perverse twist of fete the Ward Councillor for Caia Park is Malcolm King who is a leading member of the North Wales Police Authority and is credited with ensuring that that a judicial inquiry took place into allegations of abuse in children’s homes.
A North Wales FACT spokesman said it will be interesting to see how long it will be before the residents of Caia Park start alleging mistreatment by the Police. Should this happen it will be interesting to see what Councillor King’s and Cllr. Wilkinson’s position will be.