Reform council condemned over ‘pig-headed’ decision to withdraw support for Show Racism the Red Card

Reform-run Sunderland City Council has been condemned over its decision to withdraw support for local anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card.

In a council meeting on 16 September, Reform council leader Chris Eynon said the council would no longer support Show Racism the Red Card or Wear Red Day, their campaign day on 16 October.

Leader of the opposition on Sunderland City Council, Paul Edgeworth, called the decision “terrible” and “really pig-headed”. 

Eynon said Reform had made the decision because of the “very very stark political bias” of the anti-racism charity’s founder Ged Grebby.

In the meeting, Eynon read out some posts Grebby had published on X that were critical of Reform, including him saying that “Reform is a very very dangerous organisation” and that “racists have been emboldened by Farage”. 

Eynon also cited Grebby attending Labour Party conference and having met with trade unions and Labour MP Kim McGuinness as reasons for Reform cutting ties with the organisation.

Edgeworth told Left Foot Forward that the decision was “terrible”, adding “Just recently we had Romaine Mundle, who’s a Sunderland player suffering racist abuse at a match so it’s clearly still happening in Sunderland and across the country.”

On 22 February, Sunderland AFC put out a statement condemning the “vile online racist abuse” that Mundle was subjected to after a match against Fulham.

The Lib Dem councillor for Grindon and Thornley Close added: “Whatever Reform’s view is of individuals involved with the campaign, it just sends a terrible message.”

He said of Reform’s decision: “It’s not representative of Sunderland, we are a welcoming place where people from all over the world have chosen to make their home.”

“It just sends completely the wrong signal and is really pig-headed of Reform.”

Edgeworth said he didn’t know exactly how much money the council had previously provided to the charity, but that he thought it was a “symbolic” amount. 

In a statement, Ged Grebby, Chief Executive of Show Racism the Red Card, said: “Show Racism the Red Card have worked with Sunderland City Council throughout its 30 year history, and are proud of the charity’s North East roots. We are disappointed in the statement made by the Leader of Sunderland City Council stating that they will not be supporting Wear Red Day this year. 

“In our experience, the people of Sunderland have traditionally demonstrated a welcoming, inclusive and anti-racist attitude, and believe it is important that voters see this decision as further evidence that the Council are unsupportive of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.”

In June, the Reform UK-led administration pulled £10,000 in council funding for the city’s Pride events.

Just weeks after taking over control of Sunderland City Council from Labour, Reform announced that it would “never” fly the Pride flag outside City Hall.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward