A pensioner who volunteers as a Santa Claus for a local charity each year has been sacked for sending "anti-Labour" social media posts.
Paul Cleary told GB News he's been left devastated at being informed his services would no longer be required after expressing his political opinions online.
The 71-year-old is a well-known figure in the local community, performing at light switch-on events with the Lord Mayor and offering free Santa visits to families.
His work included collecting presents from families before visits and delivering them at scheduled times whilst encouraging donations to Montgomery Hall food bank in Wath-upon-Dearne.
The 71-year-old offers free Santa visits to families
GB News
Last year, Cleary collected £170 in cash donations alongside numerous bags of food for the Wath-upon-Dearne Community Partnership.
But Cleary was left “gutted” when he received a formal letter from the group stating his social media posts about "Labour cancelling Christmas" had "upset the board members and volunteers" and were deemed “inappropriate” and “anti-Labour".
The letter noted that many of the Christmas Festival organisers were Labour Party members and that his views meant it was therefore no longer "appropriate" for him to fulfil the role of Santa Claus.
Cleary was also told that he should stop making donations to the Montgomery Hall food bank because the charity was in a "comfortable position" and didn't require any further financial donations.
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However, on the exact same day that the formal letter was delivered to the pensioner, an advert in the local church magazine from the charity urged locals for help ahead of Christmas.
"It knocked me for six. It made me feel violated," Cleary told GB News.
“For me, it is disgusting. We have a local church magazine delivered, and the magazine had been delivered on the same day as the letter and I had not seen it.
“There's a message in there from Montgomery Hall Food Bank asking for Christmas donations, as they are badly in need of donations [even though they asked me to donate elsewhere].”
Mr Clearly was shocked when he recieved the letter
GB News
Initially devastated by the dismissal, he cancelled all scheduled Santa visits
Paul Cleary
Devastated by the dismissal, he cancelled all scheduled Santa visits because he was "gutted" by the decision.
Cleary has instead opted to support a different charity with his future appearances and rearranged them.
Founder and director of the Free Speech Union, Toby Young told GB News: "I doubt Mr Cleary would have been sacked if he’d posted anti-Conservative sentiments on social media.
"He was going to dress up in a red costume. Isn’t that enough for his Labour Party-supporting employers?"
GB News has contacted Wath upon Dearne Community Partnership for comment.
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