Dafydd Iwan slams far right groups for co-opting Yma o Hyd
Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan has hit out at far right groups who have been using Yma o Hyd.
Posting on Twitter, the legendary Welsh performer, who has seen a huge resurgence in interest in the song he released in 1983, hit out at those groups opposing the housing of asylum seekers who have co-opted the song.
In a bilingual message the singer wrote:
“Mae wedi dod i’m sylw fod ‘Yma o Hyd’ yn cael ei defnyddio gan bobol sy’n gwrthwynebu rhoi cartref i geiswyr lloches. Os gwelwch yn dda, peidiwch!!
“It has been brought to my notice that ‘Yma o Hyd’ is used by groups opposing the housing of asylum seekers. This must stop!!”
The song which first found favour as an adopted anthem at Llanelli RFC, saw massive renewed interest last year when it was used as the official Cymru song at the World Cup in Qatar.
Mae wedi dod i'm sylw fod 'Yma o Hyd' yn cael ei defnyddio gan bobol sy'n gwrthwynebu rhoi cartref i geiswyr lloches. Os gwelwch yn dda, peidiwch!!
It has been brought to my notice that 'Yma o Hyd' is used by groups opposing the housing of asylum seekers. This must stop!!— Dafydd Iwan (@dafyddiwan) June 11, 2023
The timing of Dafydd Iwan’s message comes amidst a row breaking out over the housing of asylum seekers in a luxury hotel in Llanelli.
The Home Office wants to house 207 migrants in the town’s four-star Stradey Park Hotel.
Nearly 400 people attended a public meeting last week and a group called the Furnace Action Committee – named after the village on the outskirts of Llanelli where the hotel is situated – has since been established to campaign against the plan.
Last weekend demonstrations took place outside the hotel, one involving members of the far-right Voice of Wales group which opposes the plan, and the other composed of people who wanted to convey the message that the asylum seekers would be welcome in Llanelli.
On the weekend Welsh Government minister Lee Waters who was knocking on doors to discuss concerns with his constituents was harassed on the street by a former organiser of a far-right political party.
The incident was filmed by former south Wales co-ordinator of the British National Party (BNP), Roger Phillips who branded the Deputy Minister for Climate Change a “coward” because the MS had blocked him on social media.
Mr Waters and Cllr Martin Palfreman had been in the Furnace area of Llanelli talking to local residents about proposals to use the Stradey Park Hotel to house asylum seekers.
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Typical far right tactics of twisting the message of something good into propaganda 🙄😒
As for targeting Lee Waters, it’s called bullying tactics and blocking bullies on social media isn’t cowardice, it’s common sense.
To the far right cowards pumping out their vile propaganda, instead of being Racist, Sexist, Homophobic, Transphobic et al, just keep silent. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should!
Far right ? How far to the right ? The visible extremist odd ball groupings are mostly, if not all, of an Anglo Brit Union Jack waving orientation and would regard Yma o Hyd with contempt if at all aware of it. A BNP rep in West Wales could have the freedom of an old style phone box with bags of room to spare. Or is this just the fashionable pseudo-left shorthand for “slightly right of centre”?
Maybe that the Dafydd Iwan song, ….. ‘Y Gwaid Gwyrdd a Oren fel yr Un’…(The Green and Orange blood are all the same.) might be a better song to adopt for independence. We need to pull together. Charity begins at Home and our people need housing first.
This typifies the far-right who appropriate a cause solely to further their hatred of immigrants, Islam and ethnic minorities. They don’t represent Wales, those like Dafydd Iwan who fight to keep our language & culture alive as a native people, but their own narrow bigoted twisted ideology.
Let’s hope Trump doesn’t get wind of it…
Trump has enough wind as it is ……p**s and wind mostly!
Well, the way things are going we won’t be ‘Yma o Hyd’ for very much longer!
But totally fine with England co-opting our Britishness. He obviously understands that it’s us who are British because of the subject matter and person who the song is directly about. The Song belongs to all Cymric people, Left or Right.
Lets just say who we really mean, Gwlad
Don’t be ridiculous. You are the only one who’s mentioned ‘Gwlad’.
Thus far Gwlad seems to be doing a fair job of suppressing it’s more extreme membership from making comments, and whilst there is nothing in their constitution or indeed their policies, there is no doubt that they have many supporters who hold extreme right-wing viewpoints.
In my experience, fledgling political movements and institutions invariably attract interesting characters. The first, and most difficult, part of a new movement’s job is moving through that phase. That’s what Gwlad is going through now. There will be bumps, but personally, I’m willing to give them time to see what emerges, not least because we desperately need a centre right perspective in the Senedd. And frankly, when you look at their actual policies, you could make the case that they’re more left wing than right wing! (eg UBI)
It should be the Welsh government who decides where our asylum seekers
(Who seek asylum in Wales) will stay while we process their application here in Wales.
Not the UK home office.
We should be like any European country and decide our own destiny.
Wales is not an EU country. The people of Wales quite rightly voted to leave the EU in 2016. Only its politicians voted to remain. You are not in an EU country, and you are attached to the UK, and Westminster finances Wales. Neither the UK or Wales cannot afford to fund these migrants. This is a purely economic point. Forget racism. Your health service needs funding before finding money for migrants hotel bills. These are facts of life.
Basic facts are that as the world becomes hotter and natural resources deplete, the world will become more dangerous and there will be more vulnerable people looking for safety. Right wing politicians don’t want to support vulnerable people in their own nations and they don’t want to support them if they come here. Right wing politicians also don’t want to fund healthcare. The “I’m alright, jack” view of drawing up the drawbridge and not supporting others is not a Welsh viewpoint. Welsh culture is important and Wales will live on through it. Anyone wanting to come here to take part… Read more »
“Anyone wanting to come here…is Welsh”.
It’s exactly this sort of platitudinous, cretinous, virtue signalling nonsense that’s got us into this mess.
It’s simply an absurd statement that acts as a way of stopping any constructive discussion on a complex issue.
YOu seem to be misled. the immigration debacle is solely down to Brexit and year by year austerity and cutbacks of Brit Gvt departments that deal with immigrants.
The reality is that we have a serious demographic problem in Wales, and it’s VERY easy to make the economic case for MORE immigration. These immigrants are largely young, hungry, physically fit and productive people who are keen to enrich themselves, and by extension, the community in which they settle. This is the root of American innovation, dynamism, and wealth. In other words, the solution to lack of NHS funding is not less immigration, but more. Alternatively, we can espouse pro-family policies, which are usually more socially conservative. And that’s the battle we have, essentially – do you believe in… Read more »
Ok then if you are convinced that finances for funding migrants is a burden to the NHS then one must assume that you have no issue with HST 2 already over budget and one third of it cancelled.
Furthermore are you happy to finance Zelensky’s war when people have to rely on food banks in what is supposed to be the 5th biggest economy in the world.
You are confused as to what European means. Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Andorra and several other non EU member states are still European.