Councillor hits out at 'woke' Hereford museum event on fake news
Cllr Ewen Sinclair said that the event was led by a "virtue signalling" man
A Herefordshire town councillor has claimed an event to chart the direction of Hereford’s new museum will be an exercise in “woke virtue-signalling”.
The latest in a series of events put on by Herefordshire Council’s museums and galleries department, ‘Contentious narratives’ will “invite local people to discuss how museums should respond to fake news, misinformation and contested histories”.
The department’s head Damian Etheraads said it would question “how can we present complex or controversial subjects with integrity, resisting harmful ideologies without becoming dogmatic”.
This will help shape displays in the city’s new £18-million museum and art gallery in Broad Street, on which building work is due to begin shortly, “based on what matters to our communities”, he added.
But Councillor Ewen Sinclair of Ledbury posted on Facebook: "Herefordshire Council are funding an event to have an ‘open’ discussion, then the organiser will tell you what to think. He is going to discuss ‘fake’ news and ‘misinformation’. Anyone who says disinformation and misinformation, is probably lying.
"Unfortunately I can’t be there but can people please attend to question this self promoting, virtue signalling, woke and aggrandising individual. Who is squandering the Council Tax you pay."
A council spokesperson said the public assembly is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its package to support the museum and gallery project.
“Their aim is to give Herefordshire people the chance to understand how we’re approaching the redevelopment of the museum; not just what the plans are, but the thinking, values, and principles behind them,” they said.
“In the upcoming session we won’t be telling people what to think.”
The event is being held at the History Store, the council’s museums repository in Friars Street, Hereford, on Saturday June 7. It is free to attend with no booking required.
In February Councillor Sinclair was formally rebuked by Herefordshire Council’s standards panel over an altercation with a resident. He claimed at the time that the council “are trying to cancel me”.
This was third time he was found in breach of the town councillors’ code of conduct since being elected unopposed to Ledbury West parish ward in October 2021.