English language targeted on signs across Wales overnight
Stephen Price
Protesters have targeted a series of English language translations for Welsh place names on road signs across Wales overnight.
The incidents occurred mostly overnight on signs for Y Trallwng (Welshpool), Porth Tywyn (Burry Port), Aberteifi (Cardigan), Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen), Cydweli (Kidwelly), Penbre (Pembrey) and Aberdyfi (Aberdovey) although more locations are believed to have been targeted including in Flinthshire.
Whilst the group or groups responsible for the graffiti aren’t yet know, it is thought to have been a co-ordinated effort having all taken place on or around the first weekend of February, with only English names targeted.
In a post showing one photo in Facebook group ‘Wales for a United Kingdom’, there has been wide speculation over the group or individuals behind the graffiti, with one commenter writing: “Going back to the times when nationalists burned English homes’ Might be called a different name but the sentiment is the same.”
Another wrote: “We will no doubt have more of this if Plaid get in.”
Members of the same group, however, previously lay blame on Welsh nationalists for Welsh language signage being targeted with graffiti in Dinbych y Pysgod (Tenby), labelling the act a ‘false flag’.
Back in January, the Welsh language was targeted on a number of bilingual information signs across the popular tourist destination, with language campaigners blaming ‘anti-Welsh British nationalists’.
Graffiti 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.
Many of the English translations of the original Welsh (or French in the case of Sancler (St Clears), have been daubed in green paint, which has given rise to the belief that the perpetrators are Welsh language activists, or conversely, anti-Welsh language protesters furthering the ‘false flag’ theory.
Famously, in the fight for equal rights for Welsh language speakers back in the 1960s and 70s, English-only signs were targeted across the nation.
One very popular ‘battle hymn’ from this period, by Dafydd Iwan is titled ‘Peintio’r Byd yn Wyrdd’ (‘Painting the World Green’) — a Celtic green rather than an imperial-British or a Communist red — written at the height of the road-signs campaign, when the wording of English-only signs was being obliterated with green paint by activists.
In light of vandalism targeting Welsh signage across Tenby in late January, 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”.
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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The RT/Reckless demand for an apology, the highly organised, monetised and widespread nature of this vandalism and the advocating of the destabilising of the Good Friday agreement by a recent defector to RefUK is how the long mooted ‘re-establishment of the British Empire’ is playing out now. Do the crimes and shift the blame.
Is it not time to have one language with the correct, non anglicised name used?
Perhaps the mayor of Tenby might be reminded that Tenby is a corruption of the town’s proper name, Ddinbych?
Quite right. We have long suffered the bastardisation of our place names to suit and help others to pronounce them and some STILL say everywhere in Wales is ‘unpronounceable’ which is total bunkum because we can pronounce them. Grow a brain folks!
So true. ‘Betsy Code’ for one !!!!
Is Betws y Coed sooooo hard ?
They just don’t try. Or, in other words…..they haven’t got the respect to LEARN !!!!
Ond wedyn rhydych wedi ysgrifennu hyn i gyd yn Saesneg😕
nid yw hyn yn ddefnyddiol
And of course, we all know that England has the most pronouncable place names on earth. Gloucester, Bicester, Greenwich, Cirencester etc etc…
Bear in mind that it’s the anti Welsh lot that caused this recent spate around Dinbych Y Pysgod. Nice shade of green paint !!!
We are……Yma o hyd. The dragon lives on. Cymru am byth.
So when Welsh is covered over it’s a false flag, but when English is, it’s akin to terrorism? You can’t make it up.
People like Faith Jarvis are just emboldening the clearly present anti-Cymru attitudes that many in England and even Cymru hold towards our language and culture.
This is just sinking to the levels of the Reform anti Welsh brigade.
All this action does is enable the gammons.
Wait until the Daily Mail, Express, Telegraph and GB News get their rotting teeth into this. It will be ‘separatist this’ and terrorist that’. No doubt there’ll soon be a London-generated petition to erase Cymraeg from all road and public signs across Cymru….sorry, Wales (or West Britain?). The petition will be supported by people called Patriot Pam and Loyal Len and the eradication of Welsh will be labelled as “common sense”. It will be signed off with the line “One nation, one language, stop the boats!”.
Ardderchog! Bravo!
[ PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH ] Credaf fod arolwg diweddaraf YouGov – ynghylch pleidleisio yn etholiad y Senedd mewn 3 mis – arolwg sy’n dangos Plaid Cymru a’r Blaid Werdd yn gwneud mor dda – wedi ysbrydoli rhai i baentio tros enwau/geiriau Cymraeg ar arwyddion yn Ninbych-y-pysgod yr wythnos diwethaf. Credaf taw ymateb ‘False Flag’ i greu ymraniad ymhlith etholwyr Cymreig yw’r weithred hon. ~ I beleive that the latest voting intention poll by YouGov for the Senedd election in less than 3 months’ time – a poll that shows Plaid Cymru and the Green Party doing so well – has… Read more »
Agents Provocateur?
Pesky Norman nationalists insisting on using the original French-derived version Sanclêr.
It’s high time the Welsh Government acted to eliminate all corrupt, anglicized versions of the original Welsh names of places, rivers, mountains, etc introduced by English Civil Servants/MPs as brazen and insulting acts to show their utmost contempt for the people of Wales. The so-called English versions are always ridiculous and pointless. What possible rational purpose is in having Resolven as well as the correct version of the village Resolfen (with just one letter different). Likewise Ruthin with the correct version Rhuthun, Towy with the correct river Tywi, Plynlimmon for the mountain as well as the correct Pumlumon, etc, etc… Read more »
Wielders of green paint: can you make yourselves some stencils? Just simple rectangles. If you cross out the pointless anglicisations *neatly*, more people will understand that you’re making a good point, and fewer will mistake it for casual vandalism.
As usual the far-right self-hating Cymrophobes in Reform UK, Conservative & Blue Labour use their propagandists on Facebook and other platforms to attack supporters of the Welsh language and Plaid Cymru. The accusations that those responsible for vandalising English on bilingual signs are Welsh Nationalists, outrageous. You are fighting a losing battle. Accept defeat. And how ironic you omit any criticism on your forums when Welsh attacked or those responsible for the disgusting desecration of the Cofiwch Dryweryn memorial wall occurred a few years back. Telling that. I suffer your your forums of filth and follow your every move. So… Read more »
Who exactly are you referring to?
Good job to whoever did it. Cymru Rydd
Not if it was a false flag by Reform.
Well I think it’s absolutely disgusting and the culprits deserve a good telling off to make sure they think twice before doing it again.
If you cannot understand a place name in Welsh then either move to little England or don’t come to Wales simples.
Stub could be a Cymro and you just missed the irony.
I really don’t see much point in the extremes of this sort of activism. OK, I can well accept that there’s no real point in prolonging the pretty meaningless Anglicizations of essentially Welsh place names – as is the case of ‘Ruthin’ rather than Rhuthun, ‘Kidwelly’ rather than Cydweli and ‘Aberdovey’ rather than Aberdyfi. But when English versions of the place name are historically wholly different and distinct from the Welsh names – as with, for example, Swansea alongside Abertawe, Cardigan alongside Aberteifi, Welshpool alongside Y Trallwng and Cowbridge alongside Y Bontfaen – I really don’t see the point of… Read more »
Why should we have Duel language signs in Wales ,They should be in welsh only ,why do the English insist on our signs in Wales be in English ,Do the Europeans get English duel language signs imposed on them by the little Englanders because they cannot understand their signs ? This nonsense of giving English names to places in Wales must be wiped out ,THIS IS NOT ENGLAND .
Yet more cretinous behaviour from the advocates of a dying language that is spoken by very, very few people and should NOT be forced onto school students when better and more useful languages are available, French and German being a good start.
If Welsh is such a good language, why are English words “ripped off”, such as “Tacsi” for the obvious “Taxi”?
I look forward to the abuse I will no doubt receive from “The Sons of Glyndwr” or whatever they’re calling themselves this week.
All valid points. As a political tool, the Welsh language is an excellent way of keeping anti-English sentiment alive. Are we really so gullible that we’re going to believe that English people are defacing the Welsh language on road signs? English people don’t generally have animosity for other languages – and that’s a fact. Why? Might you ask, because English, in particular, is an incredibly large and complex language with over a million words and your average English speaker only has command over about 30,000 of them, on average. Which means, your average English speaker only has command of 4%… Read more »
Paul, you’ve provided an excellent example of how learning other languages can enrich our lives. German scholars of Greek and Latin put the Latin “taxō” in front of the French “métre”(from the Greek μέτρον) to get “taxameter” as a word for the new concept of a gadget that tots up the fare in a vehicle driven for hire; and then the first half of the new German word was adopted by all three extant languages of this island (tagsaidh/tacsi/taxi) to refer to the vehicle itself. And just to wind you up even more, you can’t dodge multiculturalism by hiring a… Read more »
Well folk try to destroy what they don’t understand. The Cymry (Welsh) go over the English people’s heads. To be raised Cymraeg speaking is – for many – to be raised by very clever people who care about the heart, body, mind and soul. To be raised English is to believe in one’s superiority based on calling the indigenous Irish and Cymry old stock DNA, dark and swarthy, to be got rid of. It’s a scandal the way the English treat the Celts?
I’m not fluent enough to say this in Cymraeg unfortunately.