A Bracknell councillor has warned of a ‘disinformation tsunami’ in the wake of ‘false’ rumours of assault being circulated online.
A Facebook user posted on multiple groups on May 11 that their daughter had been attacked by men in the town centre.
But Thames Valley Police said it is thought to be false, urging people to report any sexual offence to the force.
Bracknell Forest Council said the post had ’caused concern in the community’ because it linked new arrivals from the Afghan resettlement scheme to the alleged crime.
Those being resettled worked for, or with, the UK government to support its mission in Afghanistan – or are considered vulnerable or in danger from the Taliban, which took control of the country in 2021.
Many Afghans who worked to help the UK mission in Afghanistan, including in specialist units, have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
They are not classed as illegal immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees.
They are being housed in transitional accommodation, of which the location has not been disclosed for safety reasons, for a maximum of 9 months.
Speaking at an annual council meeting on May 14, Liberal Democrat Mike Forster said: “We have an example today of how this council has raised its game – and I say this most sincerely – regarding the Afghanistan resettlement scheme. I am proud of the work this council, its councillors and officers have done to make te case for why this is the right thing.
“All of you in this room, we compete for the vote of residents in our borough. We knock on their doors, we speak to them, we have surgeries.
“We are the people that can bring certainty against this disinformation tsunami that’s starting.”
In his state of the borough speech, Cllr Gareth Barnard said the Conservatives ‘will challenge misinformation and hate related agendas’.
Leader of the Council Mary Temperton said the authority was ‘as transparent as we can be’ and the ‘council has been taken to the residents’.
Last week, MP for Bracknell Peter Swallow said: “I am shocked and saddened to see posts like this which allege violence against children in order to stir up fear and also waste police time.
“This is not who we are as a community.”
Bracknell Forest Council has said residents should remain cautious when reading and sharing information online, especially on social media groups where information is not verified.
Information shared on the scheme ‘reflects that this is a fast-moving project involving vulnerable people’, the council said last week.
