Councillor said he would rather ‘stick needles in his eyes’ than celebrate Pride

A local councillor who shared a series of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-immigration posts said he would rather “stick needles” in his eyes than celebrate Pride.

A series of comments made across social media by independent Buckinghamshire councillor, Paul Griffin, include threats that he would deal with immigrants entering the UK through small boats with a “Stanley knife.”

Screenshots sent by Buckinghamshire locals of posts made through his X/Twitter account, seen by PinkNews, also show Griffin saying he would rather “stick needles in my eyes” than celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.

Elected as an Independent for Iver, Buckinghamshire, during the May 2025 Buckinghamshire Council Election, Griffin ran on policies of “safety, prosperit, community, [and] development.”

The councillor, who maintains the stance of “zero tolerance for anti-social behavior” on his campaign website, described immigrants as “invaders.”

Responding to a post asking users to “delete one thing from Earth that you think would make it better,” Griffin said: “Islam.”

In another post asking users to give their thoughts on George Floyd – a 46-year-old Black Minneapolis resident who was murdered after white Police officer Derek Chauvin pressed down on his neck for over nine minutes – Griffin described him as “vile.”

Another post seen by PinkNews sees Griffin responding to a user sharing photos at the Trevi Fountain in Italy, saying to her: “Is that where you thrown coins in for illegals to pick out?”

His X/Twitter account, in which he describes himself as “pro Brexit, anti EU,” has since been locked. Several posts made on his Facebook page engage in climate change denial.

Griffin also further mocked LGBTQ+ people in a 2021 Facebook post, sharing a meme claiming parents would struggle to explain the “birds & the bees” because of queer people.

A Register of Interests section on his Buckinghamshire Council page notes that Griffin is a member of the Free Speech Union (FSU), a right-wing campaign group that has shared anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-trans rhetoric.

Elected to the position last month with 721 votes, Griffin says he is committed to “ensuring that those that choose to live here have the best possible quality of life regardless of their political stance, race, religion, origin or ability.”

“I’ve lived in both Iver & Richings Park for the best part of 31 years and think I know the issues that most residents care about,” his website reads. “What happens in Iver is not affected on a day-to-day basis by the EU, immigration or NHS spending – those are bigger important issues for national debate.”

PinkNews has requested comment from Paul Griffin, asking to clarify what he meant when he said he would “sort” immigrants with a “Stanley knife.”

In a statement to PinkNews, Buckinghamshire Council said it was “aware” of the comments and would not be taking action against Mr Griffin under its Code of Conduct.

“It is important to note that the legal framework that the Council’s Code of Conduct for elected members is based upon applies only to a councillor’s actions in their official capacity and does not extend to comments made in a personal capacity,” a spokesperson said. “As Mr Griffin made the comments in his personal capacity not as an elected member, the Code of Conduct doesn’t apply in this case.

“All complaints relating to conduct are reviewed by the Council’s Monitoring Officer and, where the Code applies, appropriate action is taken in line with established procedures. Information about Member complaints is published annually.”