Anti-immigration protest activity — Caerphilly by-election campaign period
2025-09-01
During the 2025 Caerphilly by-election campaign, Voice of Wales organised an anti-immigration protest in Caerphilly town centre specifically targeting the Welsh Government's Nation of Sanctuary policy. The protest was part of a broader wave of anti-immigration activity in Wales that included the 'Operation Raise the Colours' campaign and far-right organising by groups including Patriotic Alternative.
Voice of Wales represents the hardest edge of the anti-devolution media landscape, pushing content that combines opposition to the Senedd with far-right anti-immigration narratives. Their targeting of the Nation of Sanctuary policy is strategically effective because it links two separate sources of public frustration: dissatisfaction with devolved governance and anxiety about immigration. By framing the Nation of Sanctuary as evidence of the Senedd's disconnect from ordinary Welsh people, Voice of Wales converts immigration anxiety into anti-devolution sentiment. During the Caerphilly by-election, their protest activity aligned with Reform UK's campaign messaging, although Reform has been careful to maintain distance from far-right groups. A September 2025 YouGov poll found 49% of Welsh respondents opposed the Nation of Sanctuary policy, suggesting this issue has significant mobilisation potential. Voice of Wales amplifies this opposition through social media content that is more extreme than anything mainstream anti-devolution parties would produce, serving as a radicalisation pipeline from legitimate policy frustration to hardline anti-devolution and anti-immigration positions.