A PEMBROKE Dock town councillor, and former mayor, accused of racism following a social media post, has hit back at the accusations.

Cllr Peter Kraus had recently shared an image which appeared to compare black protestors with monkeys at a wildlife park damaging a car.

He has previously said he only posted it to express his frustration over scenes of violence during the Black Lives Matter protests, telling the Western Telegraph: “The point I was making was that we are worse than animals, It is bad enough with this pandemic without all these crazy things that are going on everywhere, it was not meant as an insult to black people.”

Bizarrely, Cllr Kraus was later reported in the national media, published after he had spoken to the Western Telegraph, as saying he believed his account had been hacked, before apparently changing his story back.

Fellow councillor Josh Beynon, who had proposed a recent lighting of County Hall in support of the Black Lives Matter protest, said: “After the past week, I’m sad to see another derogatory post, this time one that compares black people to monkeys, it is the lowest of the low.”

Cllr Kraus issued a statement yesterday, June 19, saying: “This is a message to all you lovely people out there who seem to think of me a racist person. I have never in my whole life been racist in any way or form. I have hundreds of my friends who are black, and they are true friends, even from the 1960s when I lived in London.

“All my life I have tried to make people happy and do things above the call of duty which I have sure done in Pembroke Dock and surrounding areas.

“The picture in question, which I am sure you are all referring to [on social media comments] actually means to me that some people are worse than animals and enjoy destroying things, whether it be vehicles, buildings or statutes.

“We, that is the public, have been through enough with this pandemic, which has killed so many people. I cannot wait for this pandemic to be over, so that we can get back to as near normal as possible. I have had lots and lots of friends contact me and agree that this is not racist.

“Why is it that only the [???] think that I am different. I had to get this off my chest. I am innocent.”