The words “ETHNIC CLEANSE” were painted in large letters and discovered yesterday, prompting condemnation from members of the community and political figures.
The incident followed comments from Adorabelle Amaral Shaikh, who earlier described herself as “shocked and saddened” by growing hate and division following the local elections.
What could have become a divisive moment instead saw residents take swift action.
Community members organised a volunteer ‘paint squad’ to remove the graffiti this morning, while councillors, campaigners and residents applied pressure on social media for it to be dealt with.
By before 8am, the message had been painted over.
The speed of the response meant the graffiti did not remain on display for long, with many describing the reaction as a show of unity.
A crowdfunding campaign has since been launched by local community artist Inca Mole to replace the wall with a positive mural celebrating inclusion and community spirit.
The fundraiser, titled ‘Erase Hate’, aims to transform the site into a permanent piece of public art promoting unity rather than division.
Supporters of the campaign said the response from residents demonstrated “what community looks like”.
They added: “This is Swindon. We reject the racists, we stand united as a community, against division, against hate.”
Broadgreen is one of Swindon’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods, with established community networks and multicultural roots.
In a joint statement, councillors representing each of the political groups on Swindon Borough Council, said:
“Hateful and abusive graffiti has no place in Swindon and our communities. We condemn this behaviour and the Council will always do all it can working with Wiltshire Police to identify the criminals responsible.
“Officers are checking CCTV footage and we urge anyone with any information, including local residents with doorbell footage, to contact the police.”
Cllr Jim Robbins, Labour and Co-operative Party; Cllr Gary Sumner, Conservative Party; Cllr Sara Godwin, Reform UK; and Cllr Martin Barrett, Liberal Democrats.
Wiltshire Police has not yet released a public statement regarding the graffiti investigation.
