Hillingdon Councillor Condemns AI Images as Racist Tropes

Councillor Sital Punja has called for stronger safeguards for elected representatives after AI-generated images portraying her were shared online by the Hillingdon Conservative Party. Punja, a Labour councillor on the Tory-controlled Hillingdon Council, stated that the manipulated images relied on what she described as "racist and antisemitic tropes".

One of the images shared by the Hillingdon Conservatives on X depicted Punja, who is of Indian heritage, as controlling white male councillors like puppets on strings. The Hillingdon Conservative Group rejected the accusations, asserting the material was intended purely as "political satire" and that there was no racist or antisemitic intent.

Historical Tropes and Personal Impact

Punja disputed the explanation, telling BBC London that she did not accept the images as political satire due to their racist nature. She explained that puppeteering imagery has been used as an antisemitic and racist trope for decades. Punja, first elected to Hillingdon Council in 2022, has previously served as Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Labour and has spoken about facing trolling that has taken a toll.

The discovery of the images was linked to Councillor Richard Mills, the Conservative Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Council. It emerged that Mills had been using the anonymous username ‘DelightfulYuzu2877’ to comment in local Facebook groups. Councillor Punja realised this same account had posted an AI-generated image of her.

Speaking about the imagery, Punja stated that an Indian female with exaggerated features puppeteering helpless white men on strings implies that people are vulnerable at the hands of a person of colour. She described this as a historically known trope, similar to those used during anti-Semitism, suggesting it implies an Asian person in elected office would simply puppeteer white people.

Punja also described feeling violated and sickened by other images, including one of her running off with money. She expressed concern about AI's increasing integration into daily life and the potential for misuse of personal images, noting that she had allowed the council to use her photograph for civic duties, not for political caricature.

Conservative Response and Counterclaims

Councillor Richard Mills, in a statement reported by The Standard, rejected the allegations in the strongest possible terms. He described the image as clearly political satire about Punja's political influence, stating there was no reference to her race, sex, or religion. Mills called the suggestion of racist connotations a "dangerously false accusation" and stated that racism is too serious an issue to be casually used in political discourse.

The Hillingdon Conservative Group issued a statement rejecting any suggestion that the images were racist, sexist, or misogynistic, or that they were published with such intent. They described the images as political satire relating to Punja's position and former influence within the Hillingdon Labour Group. The group stated that political satire has a legitimate place in political debate and that similar images have been posted by local Hillingdon Labour groups.

The Conservative group added that allegations of racism are serious and should be considered on facts and evidence, not simply asserted as part of a political disagreement or published in local media without substance. They stated they are prepared to reflect on published material and would expect the same standards from all political parties.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has seen examples of AI-manipulated photos of Conservative councillors posted by a specific local Labour branch. However, Councillor Punja stated these accounts are not associated with her and are not the same as the Hillingdon Labour Group posting them.