A pensioner who was sacked from volunteering as Santa Claus over "anti-Labour" social media posts has declared that he won't let the incident "ruin Christmas" for him.
Paul Cleary, 71, is a well-known figure in the South Yorkshire community of Wath-upon-Dearne, offering free Santa visits to families and appearing at light switch-on events with the Lord Mayor.
The letter claimed that the posts had "upset the board", and were deemed "inappropriate" and "anti-Labour", given many of the volunteers at the Wath Christmas Festival are "part of the Labour Party".
Paul Cleary has vowed that the sacking will 'not ruin his Christmas' as he has offered his services to another charity
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Following his dismissal, Cleary cancelled all scheduled Santa visits as he was left "gutted" by the decision.
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.
Speaking to GB News, Cleary told host Martin Daubney he was "gobsmacked" by the incident, and claims his sacking is "unbelievable".
Cleary said: "It's unbelievable to tell you the truth - I've been accused of sending racist and / or derogatory remarks on my Facebook page about the Labour government, and I received a letter from the trust where I volunteered as Santa.
The 71-year-old offers free Santa visits to families GB News "They banned me from making donations to the Montgomery Hall Food Bank, a local food bank. And then in the next breath, they're asking for Christmas donations made in the local church magazine. I was gobsmacked."
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When asked by Martin if he is going to let the dismissal "ruin his Christmas", Cleary revealed: "It would have ruined my Christmas, but I'm not going to let it.
"I am now volunteering for another group based in the Watch Community Partnership, and they are going to get all my donations from now on."
Delivering his verdict on the incident, Martin said it is the "ultimate bah humbug story" and is most likely "politically motivated".
Martin quipped: "This is the ultimate bah humbug story. They kick you out, you volunteer and do your time, and it appears to be politically motivated.
Cleary told GB News he was 'gobsmacked' when he received the letter
GB News
"Good for you though Paul. The fact of the matter is, I think you've come out of it looking cheerful, and another charity is now going to benefit from you."
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.
