Adorabelle Amaral Shaikh, who represents Broadgreen and previously served as Swindon’s Mayoress for 2024/25, said she was “shocked and saddened” by what she described as growing hate and division in politics.
The Labour councillor, who has represented Central Swindon since 2019 and currently serves as Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said she witnessed “nasty discussions” both on polling day and during the election count, adding that some behaviour “should never have occurred”.
In a statement, Cllr Shaikh said Broadgreen was “our home” and vowed she would “always be proud to represent and protect it as a person of colour from a South Asian heritage”.
She also revealed that the phrase “ETHNIC CLEANSE” had been found written on a street in the area where her children were born and raised.
The incident has been reported to police, with the council expected to arrange for the graffiti to be removed.
The comments come in the aftermath of a bruising set of local elections in Swindon, which saw sharp political shifts across the borough and heightened tensions during campaigning and counting.
Broadgreen has long been one of Swindon’s most diverse communities, with generations of families from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds living in the area.
Cllr Shaikh said politics should be “a positive and powerful influence” focused on improving people’s lives, warning that with political power also comes “a huge responsibility”.
Wiltshire Police has not yet publicly commented on the reported graffiti incident.
