Anti-Welsh language graffiti appears across seaside town
Stephen Price
The Welsh language has been targeted on a number of bilingual information signs across a west Wales seaside resort, with language campaigners blaming ‘anti-Welsh British nationalists’.
Graffiti has appeared across Tenby’s most popular tourist spots, including the town’s popular North Beach, with black spray paint targeting the Welsh writing on signs such as those giving vital parking information as well as information for visitors in motorhomes.
Other signage targeted includes information for dog owners on beach restrictions, and in each case the English language information has been left alone.
In light of vandalism targeting Welsh signage across the area this week, Mudiad Eryr Wen has said they are “compelled to respond”.
Mudiad Eryr Wen, who shared photos of the signage from The Tenby Observer on Instagram, describe themselves as a brand new and energetic approach to defending our nation and campaigning for our eventual independence.
They say they are “a movement and community created by the youth, for the youth”.
View this post on Instagram
A spokesperson for the group shared: “The vandalism in question isn’t even targeting the town’s original Welsh name, as happened in Aberteifi back in 2024.
“Rather, this vandalism is a direct attack on the Welsh language itself, with a plethora of bilingual informational signs being deliberately targeted. It is the puerile act of anti-Welsh British nationalists that are spurred on by the likes of Reform and Rupert Lowe.
“The town is already often referred to by the anglicised name of “Tenby”, which is similar in origin to “Denbigh” in the north.
“Evidently, that doesn’t suffice for some, who’d rather that the Welsh language was wiped out in its entirety.
“Rest assured, such attacks against the language vindicate our actions as a movement and demonstrate why we resort to our own direct action.”
A spokesperson for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “Pembrokeshire County Council is aware of the vandalism of a number of signs around Tenby.
“The Council is currently arranging for the signs to be cleaned or replaced where necessary.
“Deliberate vandalism of this kind diverts time and resources away from important public services,”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Tenby, Councillor Dai Morgan, said: “Tenby Town Council strongly condemns graffiti and vandalism anywhere in our town.
“Such behaviour is unacceptable. It damages property, spoils public spaces, and costs the community time and money to put right.
“It shows a lack of respect for Tenby and for the people who live, work, and visit here.
“The vandalism will be reported, and we encourage anyone with information to do the same.”
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Reform types or kippers? ARTD been there for a day out?
At least while they’re busy vandalising signs, they’re not hanging around by parks or schools.
Given the recent tub thumping by a certain conservative MS and his disparging comments on the critique of the welsh language usage of the Welsh and his labelling of Plaid Cymru as separists, it is not a shock for this behaviour to emerge, yet it will prove counter productive to these monolingual vandals
Thanks for the report. I’ve just signed up to Mudiad Eryr Wen
Eluned Morgan this morning labelled Plaid Cymru as “seperatists”, making “Welsh” Labour just as culpable as Reform/Con in encouraging people to behave in this way
Unionists (red, blue and turquoise )are now in “ Project Fear” mode to distract the voters from their lack of competence or vision to deliver a Modern and Vibrant Cymru.
Ah, a nice little reminder to turn out in force on May 7th to vote for your nation, national identity and national language and send the message to this filth that WE DO NOT WANT THEM HERE!
The Abolish Wales party have started campaigning already.
Defacing any sign is vandalism pure and simple.
Tenby sold it’s soul long ago. It’s time to take it back. Independence is the only way.
Cowards, let them show their faces so our youngest generations can understand how not to be. These people are racists and are the root of hatred, for every sign they spray the stronger we Welsh will be and just to remind those idiots that if they took one look at the castles of Wales and why they’re there then they will soon learn that a tin a paint is nothing to us. Cymru am byth!
Why don’t the anti Welsh community learn to respect the country they live in ? If they find Welsh names, words, language and culture so abhorrent, why do they stay here ? The Welsh are the original Brits. After all, the border isn’t that far away. Funnily enough, most or all things in England are in English !! Fancy !!
Cymru am byth.
This literally happens all the time in North Wales. Signs everywhere with the translations sprayed black by idiots. I’ve seen it all over Gwynedd and Conwy and nothing is done about it, they just stay like that.
Thing is, up here it’s the English that’s been blacked out.
Looks like someone has been out in force trying to reinforce the little England beyond Wales narrative. The odd thing is, some of these people will have welsh ancestry and are already using welsh words in their daily life. Words like Avon (afon) and Coombe (cwm) are welsh words just spelled in english. It is laughable that someone is trying to assign the act to Reform uk as if they are an anti welsh outfit. I wouldn’t have thought Llyr Powell would have represented them in Caerffili if he thought so.
This sort of thing is being fuelled by Trumpism is the USA and Farageism, its UK equivalent, on this side of the ocean. The way things currently seem to be going, I suspect that we’ll be seeing more of this over the next year or two. And while it richly deserves to be robustly resisted, my hunch is that it actually has more sympathizers here than I’d like to see. The difference now is that for a long time these people kept their morose bigotry under wraps; but now, given the apparent surge in voter support for Farage across much… Read more »
This is a hate crime as much as the daubing and destroying of the Cofiwch Dryweryn monument a few years back by idiots. Unfortunately Britain’s native language will always face prejudice by those with low IQ. Difference is. Cymraeg will outlive them all. It survived the Roman invasion. Germanic Saxon onslaught. The Norman French iron ring chokehold and the English Welsh Not. So some spotty monoglot with a spray can has no chance. Yma o hyd. #Cymraeg 🏴✊
This is no more a hate crime than the similar acts of vandalism targeting English-language signage elsewhere in Wales. Vandalism of any form is a bad thing, but lets keep some perspective – this is not a hate crime.
Why would you live somewhere you hate? Very odd.
I have met these types before. They come here expecting to be treated as someone special, and when they realise the people are aren’t prepared to change their customs to suit the new immigrants, they get all huffy and offended. It’s a good bet that they haven’t bothered to learn a word of Cymraeg in their forty years; it’s also a good bet that they put up an ugly St. Georges cross flag in the garden before getting to know their neighbours. I don’t know where to start with the perverted psychology of living in a place you hate for… Read more »
You are guilty of equating the actions and prejudices of the occupiers, with those of the occupied. In doing this you put yourself on the side of the occupiers. In this case, the occupiers are the english over centuries; painting out road signs is just the latest manifestation. The Cymry have a right to remove english signs in Cymru; english immigrants do not have a right to remove signs in Cymraeg.
This is how racists respond when they can’t get their own way. Farage and his English Nationalist far right hate has no place in Cymru. Just like the people of Caerphilly the vast majority of Welsh people will reject them in May
With the rise of the vile reform supporters in Cymru this does not come as a surprise.
I
Im an Englishman 40 plus years living in Wales and my children are Welsh. The Welsh language diminishing is a catastrophe. I hear it and I feel home. I should have learnt it, I still have time. May God bless the Welsh.
You should indeed have learnt it by now, but it is not too late. Let your obvious sense of shame motivate you into starting now. You will find the rewards well worth the effort.
Anyone carrying out stupid acts of vandalism Creates separation All the people of Wales must condemn I am Welsh born and bred and proud to shout it out loud I don’t speak Welsh All people must stick together Wales has since the Senedd was formed gone backwards people who are proud to keep their native language must be Admired we all have choices I appreciate it’s regional But We are all Welsh and together must work to get what was a far better Wales than before the Senedd that has failed Wales. We are all Taffies Whenever I was in… Read more »
When they apply welsh names to milford Haven and tenby which never had welsh names what do they expect. What a mockery of the proper local names
There is little excuse for you ignorance, given that a few clicks of the mouse will tell you that the original welsh name for Tenby long predates the english name. As for Milford Haven, that is an english name which refers to the entire estuary, it is not the name of a town, and guess what? The original inhabitants had a name for it before the norman french and their flemish mercenaries got there.
Funny how all the comments here (apart from the odd phrase) are in English!
Us Welsh folk, we keep the Welsh language in our hearts and minds mainly. For most of us, our connections to the Welsh language is seeing it written on road signs. Then we know, we are home.
Darllenwch fy mhost isod!
To make things worse, now Cardiff council are running a consultation to close down one of only 2 Welsh secondary schools in Cardiff, Bro Edern. They want to build another one in south Cardiff and merge them together. It is very discouraging to be made aware of this consultation. How is closing down a school to merge it in a city as large as Cardiff going to encourage parents to send their children half way across the city. The student will have to leave very early in the morning and come back juch later in the evening daily. This is… Read more »
Mwyaf maen nhw’n fandaleiddio ein hiaith ar arwyddbyst, mwyaf yn down ni’n nôl yn llawer gryfach. Wnân nhw byth dinistrio ein hiaith. Dan ni wedi goroesi ymdrechion llawer mwy ffïaidd yn y gorffennol, ac mae pawb sydd wedi trio dileu’r iaith oddi ar wyneb y ddaear wedi methu’n llwyr.
Teipo – y down – nid yn down!
I cannot speak Welsh I was never taught but I’m Welsh from way back. How dare these people do this. If you go to richer Welsh areas you will be hard pushed to hear the local accent from business owners or second homers. This then causes Welsh to be pushed out. .
Wales 🏴 will always be the best place to live.
I live in Tenby and ive lived here all my life.
Pembrokeshire is a beautiful place to live and visit.
So don’t come here and spray graffiti everywhere.
Welsh 🏴 people are real people and we respect our town etc….
Stay away you disgusting hypocrites.