Worthing councillor apologises for wearing Soviet themed t-shirt to rally

Gaisford ward councillor Dale Overton was pictured at the London TUC rally on Saturday (18 June) wearing a red t-shirt with the acronym ‘CCCP’ and the hammer and sickle symbol.

CCCP is the Russian acronym for the USSR (Союз Советских Социалистических Республик), also known as the Soviet Union – a communist state which existed for a large part of the 20th Century.

Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring) called on Worthing Borough Council’s Labour leader, Beccy Cooper, to suspend Mr Overton and conduct an inquiry.

In light of the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Mr Jenkins called the t-shirt ‘grossly insensitive’ and says he has been approached by residents ‘expressing shock and horror’.

Dr Cooper said the Labour group will ‘not be taking further action against Mr Overton’ whom she says has ‘proved himself to be an enthusiastic new member of the council’.

She said: “[Mr Overton] attended the demonstration in a private capacity and the photographs referred to were posted on limited social media.”

But she understood it could have caused offence and had received a letter of explanation and apology from Mr Overton.

Mr Overton has since apologised and says he has ‘binned the t-shirt’, which was given in 2019 as a ‘slightly ironic gift’. He has also stated his abhorrence of Putin’s invasion, signed up for code of conduct training and donated to a Ukraine charity.

He believes a ‘line has been drawn’ between the former Soviet Union and Putin’s Russia, but did claim a ‘double standard’ was at play due to national Conservative Party donations from Russian linked donors.

He said the call for his suspension was a ‘sustained and needlessly public attack’ which involved ‘spreading a photograph far and wide which would otherwise have gone entirely unnoticed’. He added: “And for what? The sole aim of suspending a novice councillor for a clumsy first offence.”

He added: “As a member of community organisations supplying food bank and school uniform services to various disadvantaged groups, I was in discussion only a few days ago on how services provided by the council to Ukrainian refugees could be enhanced and sped up. I will now redouble my efforts to support them.”