Basildon Council leader shares AI video with antisemitic lyrics
Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, posted an AI-generated video on Facebook featuring antisemitic lyrics from a Michael Jackson song criticising Conservative opponents. He said he was unaware of the antisemitic content, deleted the post immediately after being alerted, and apologised, but the video was reported to Essex Police.
What happened
Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council in Essex, created and posted an AI-generated video to Facebook on Thursday targeting Conservative opponents ahead of May council elections. The video featured images of Basildon Conservative councillors and candidates with audio from the original version of Michael Jackson's song 'They Don't Care About Us', which contains antisemitic lyrics.
Reported impact
Both Basildon Conservatives and Reform UK called for Callaghan's resignation following the post. The video was reported to Essex Police.
Index analysis
Callaghan stated he was unaware of the antisemitic lyrics at the time of posting and had not checked the video adequately before sharing it. He deleted the post immediately after being made aware of the problematic content.
Governance controls
Callaghan acknowledged he should have been more careful in his use of AI and said he would be 'far more cautious in the future' when sharing AI-generated material.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.