Dafydd Iwan to join rally urging Plaid government to ‘turn the tide’ for Welsh language

Emily Price

Veteran campaigner Dafydd Iwan will take part in a rally calling on the new Plaid Cymru Government to pledge to “turn the tide for the Welsh language”.

The event on Saturday (July 4) comes three days before the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan, is due to make a statement in the Senedd outlining the government’s priorities for the Welsh language.

It’s been organised by pressure group Cymdeithas yr Iaith following decades of campaigning for the right of Welsh people to use the Welsh language in every aspect of their lives.

The rally will begin at 1:00pm at Y Traeth Stadium, home of Porthmadog Football Club.

Speakers will include Welsh cultural icon Dafydd Iwan, Mici Plwm, Gwyneth Glyn, Cleif Harpwood, along with community representatives.

Dr Jeff Smith, speaking on behalf of Cymdeithas, said: “After more than 60 years of campaigning and securing gains for the Welsh language, there is finally a real opportunity to have a government in Cardiff Bay that understands the need for radical action to turn the tide in favour of Welsh, recognising that the language matters to everyone in Wales.

“There has been progress in Welsh-medium education and in the number of people learning the language, and more rights have been secured for individuals to use Welsh.

“However, there is a very real danger that we could lose many of our Welsh-speaking communities during this Senedd term.”

The rally will conclude with what organisers are calling a Porthmadog version of the “Mexican Wave.”

The group will stand along one side of the football pitch, holding up red cards one after another to create a “Wave of Appeal to the Government”, symbolising the call to turn the tide for the Welsh language.

Dr Jeff Smith added: “We therefore expect the government to act radically and urgently. We need a Property Act that will reset the nature of our property system, ensure that the local housing market is no longer overwhelmed by the free market, and create a planning system that works from the ground up, meets local needs and works to support the Welsh language.

“The key to the future of our Welsh-speaking communities is for the government to adopt and implement the central recommendation of the Welsh-speaking Communities Commission: to designate areas of high Welsh-speaking density by adopting the recommended threshold of 40% Welsh speakers, based on the 2021 Census, together with the flexibility to include neighbouring communities.

“This would unlock a range of policy measures that could reasonably be implemented in these areas to secure homes and employment for local people within their own communities.”