A town councillor who asked questions about 300 Afghans staying in a local hotel has been "reported to police for stirring up hate".
John Edwards has been placed under "investigation" at Bracknell Forest Council in Berkshire, following questions he asked in April.
Cllr Edwards queried whether the large quantity of new arrivals would affect local residents on the housing waiting list.
Rather than getting answers, Cllr Edwards said he was accused of "inciting" hate and spreading "misinformation".
Cllr Edwards is under 'investigation'
The Free Speech Union has now taken up his case, describing it as a "chilling" example of democracy being squashed.
It comes after the Afghan data breach, which contained details for the resettlement of thousands of Afghans in the UK.
Cllr Edwards wrote on Facebook: "First of all, I want to make clear that everyone arriving on this scheme must be treated with dignity and respect.
"This is in no way blaming them, and they should be made to feel welcome."
A Labour councillor on the Labour-controlled Bracknell Forest Council called it "far-right propaganda", and it "has all been reported to the Ministry of Defence, council and local police".
Cllr Edwards told the Mail: "The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation - despite my claims being true.
"Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for 'stirring racial hatred'. This would be a serious criminal offence. It's stressful, it's potentially very harmful to my reputation.
"It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be called a racist'".
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The councillor raised concerns about the Afghan Resettlement Programme
Cllr Edwards explained that it was never about how he scrutinised the policy, but it was about which policy was being scrutinised.
He added: "They've escalated baseless complaints because they are either too timid to uphold democracy and free speech - or they're wilfully enabling the suppression of those rights by weaponising the complaints process."
Samuel Armstrong from the Free Speech Union called the Facebook posts "some of the most anodyne messages I have ever seen".
Armstrong said: "We now know there was an official cover-up over this scheme, yet when this elected councillor did his job and asked some basic questions about whether local people were going to be pushed down the housing list, he was placed under formal investigation. It is chilling."