Yorkshire councillor faces backlash over offensive Aberfan disaster meme
A North Yorkshire Conservative councillor has come under fire after posting an offensive meme on X that appeared to mock the Aberfan disaster.The image, depicting the aftermath of the devastating mining tragedy with the words "an avalanche of coal" superimposed, was shared in response to someone suggesting that "the English have never produced a great man of history".The term "coal" is sometimes used online to describe social media content considered to be of poor quality.Councillor Tom Jones has since removed the image and issued an apology. The Conservative representative for Scotton and Lower Wensleydale appears to have posted the image while making a point during an online discussion.In October 1966, 116 children and 28 adults died in the village of Aberfan when an enormous coal spoil tip collapsed following heavy rainfall and buried Pantglas Junior School and nearby houses, reports Wales Online.The post, which received more than 240,000 views on X, quickly drew condemnation from people criticising Mr Jones for his use of the image. One individual questioned: "Are you out of your mind using that image to score political points?"Others accused Mr Jones of insensitivity for "mocking the disaster and the deaths of Welsh children".He subsequently removed the post and apologised, stating: "Completely unreserved apologies to anyone I offended with the earlier photo I posted - I simply googled coal meme and that one came up." [sic] In his website biography, Mr Jones refers to himself as a "terminally online opinion haver."Get all the latest and breaking North Yorkshire news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here.
