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CASE STUDY CNNA VIA GW LUNTOWN VO THE CAMPAIGN FOR BI-LINGUAL SIGNS IN WALES 64

DATES. DURATION and LOCALE a. 1964 b. nine years to date (late 1973) c. Locale -- various places throughout Wales, London OBJECTIVES a. Immediate — To secure the erection of bi-lingual public b. signs throughout Wales* Long range -- To ensure "...the right of emery Welshman to use "Welsh—in all spheres of life.. (C.I. G. document 99 quoted in the booklet Symbols of Justice p. 6) I. CAMPAIGN PARTICIPANTS: LEADERSHIP AND ALLIES a. Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society, hereafter C.I.G), an organisation started in 1962, mainly by students, response to a call by Saunders Lewis for nonviolent direct action to block the forces contributing to the decline of the Welsh language. Behind C.I.G. are strong traditions of Christian pacifism and nonviolent action by Welsh nationalists. (Saunders Lewis is a nationalist, one of the founders of Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales), and nonviolent activist—one of a group of three who burned down an RAP bombing school in Wales in the mid 1930's after all constitutional means of blocking its being built had failed.) b. Leadership for the campaign came from C.I.G. Prominent figures were Dafydd Iwan and Ffred Ffransis. . Many ad hoc groups participated. Groups of professionals, parents, writers, ministers, and even magistrates gave support in various ways --when the chairman of C.I.G. (Dafydd Iwan) was in gaol for refusing to pay a fine, a group of magistrates paid the fine and secured his release. A magistrate in Cardiff paid the fine of another member who had appeared before her and two others. She was later removed from the bench. d. Plaid Cymru never aligned itself directly with the campaign (being pledged to constitutional means of change), though many members participated and many are members of C.I.G. Plaid Cymru itself petitioned the Welsh Office to adopt a bi- lingual road signs policy and offered a plan for the design of bi-lingual signs. iv. PARTICIPANTS AND LEADERSHIP OF -THE OPPOSITION a. Y Swyddfa Gymreig/The Welsh Office Office created by the

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central government, responsible to Westminster, to be the channel for problems particular to Wales. Secretary of State for Wales: Cledwyn Hughes ? ▪ 1969 George Thomas 1969 - 1970 Peter Thomas 1970 - present b. Police and Courts 0. Local Authorities V. ORGANIZATION AND CONSTRUCTIVE PROGRAM a. Annual General Meet of C.I.G. makes basic policy decisions campaigns to take up, their basic nature, resolutions, election of officers and senate. b. Senate (10 members) does the work of translating basic policy decisions into practical details of the campaigns -- how they should be carried out and by whom, etc. . Joint-secretaries (3 - appointed by the senate) carry out the day to nay work, are paid a salary. Term of office is 12 months. This is the group which actually does much of the national organizing work, many of the important day to day decisions coming from thee. d. Local cells — about 35 of these, responsible for carrying out campaigns locally, and for doing whatever they can locally for the language. e. Groups on special topics such as local government, summer homes, education, etc. About a dozen of these. f. Membership -- total is about 4,000. There are two lists, those willing to do civil disobedience, and those not g. Finances -- membership fees and various forms of fund raising. h. Constructive Program -- not as in the Gandhian campaigns in India, though much more is now being done, especially in connection with the holiday homes campaign (see Peace News 8 Feb. 1974) In the roadsigns campaign some selected biilingual signs were erected, and some misspellings corrected. VI. PRELIMINARY ACTION 1964 - 1968 a. Letters to local authorities in strongly Welsh-speaking areas urging bi-lingual policies. b. Bi-lingual signs Pere produced for some sub post offices and some misspelt signs were taken down and replaced with the correct forms. There was some success with the Post Office. C. Letters were sent to all county and major town councils urging bi-lingual signs. Response was not encouraging. d. Some individual actions of pulling down English only signs. e. Welsh Language Act was passed in Parliament in 1967 giving "equal validity" for the Welsh Language (any official act done in Welsh has equal validity as the same done in English). Some individual actions occurred to implement this act. c

f. More Letters , were sent in 1968, again with disappointing results. VII. PREPARATION FOR ACTION a. Resolution by the Annual General Meeting 12 Oct. 1968 "That the Cymdeithas start an illegal, non-violent campaign to ensure to Welsh its deserved place in every aspect of local and central government in our country." b. List sent to all members of which signs were to be deleted. warning: that all signs denoting danger, and private signs should be avoided, and that it should be done by painting only. This followed extensive philosophical discussions about property damage and nonviolence, danger which might be the result of missing signs, etc. General attitude of C.I.G. towards property damage: i.p roperty in itself is not sacrosanct not discussing unique things, works of art, but things which have no inherant value in themselves) ii. definite dividing line between people and property. The action should not contain even a threat of harm to any person. iii. wait to be arrested or turn self in. -- openness (conversation in Manchester 9 July 1973, Young Friends with Gronw ab Islwyn, then chairman of C.I.G.) VIII. ACTION a. Painting began on 2 Jan. 1969. Signs were painted by members on their way to a rally at the home of Bishop William Morgan (Who translated the Bible into Welsh) near Penmachno. After the rally some 50 members turned themselves in at the police station at Betws y Coed. They were tried in various places. Many refused to pay the fines which ranged from £2 to more than £50 and were imprisoned or had their property seized. b. Deputation to the Welsh Office led by Dafydd Iwan (chairman) on ay 969. They were received by George Thomas (secy. of state for Wales). Answers were unsatisfactory -- painting continued. . Amnesty The AGM on 8 Nov. 1969 resolved "That we inform all the local authorities of Wales that we are stopping the painting of signs for a year and press them in the meantime to erect every sign in Welsh (giving priority to the Welsh) in spite of the recommendations of the Welsh Office." During the amnesty there was much activity with court cases, petitions, and memoranda from various groups. Groups like the Welsh Committee of County Councils and Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Schools Parents Association, and others were asking the Welsh Office to implement bi-lingual policies. d. Removal The AGM in Oct. 1970 resolved "Since the truce has come to an end and the local authorities have not responded to our request (with some except ions) we must move to eradicate the remaining English road signs. A proclamation will be placed on these signs and then we will proceed to remove them systematically avoiding as before any signs which warn of danger. On some chosen signs the Welsh name will be placed. This will be done from December 1st for an indefinite period and in the meantime all members will be sent detailed in- structions and the Swyddfa Gymreig (Welsh Office) and the County Councils will be informed of our decision.". letter sent by Dafydd 'wan. (chairman) to Peter Thomas (new secy. of state for Hales) outlining the campaign since 19&4 and stating that the decision to remove signs was the result of a 12 month amnesty during which there was a lack of action by the govt. -- Urged him to allow money for bi—lingual signs, that this was the only way to prevent the beginning of the removal campaign. December 1970 Start of removal campaign with a rally at Post Mawr (synod Inn) at which 2 signs were pulled down. --list of signs, etc. as before seut to all members --proclamations placed on signs --Signs removed, made useless and deposited at police stations, (stickers reading CYMRAEG! (Welsh!) were used when it was impossible to remove the sign) --Those who had removed signs turned themselves in --Signs were deposited in court during trials of members --Many refused to pay fines --Protests were made when trials were not heard in Welsh (3 members were "kidnapped and held against their and would not be produced unless the judge stated that the case would be heard in Welsh." (Sym. of Jus. p. 15) The "kidnappers" were a number of prominent men and women. In this and other cases, trials held in English were interrupted by singing, and reading from Welsh books.) More and more members of C.I.G. have been refusing to recognize the courts. "We have no intention of taking part in the trial as the legal proceedings are irrelevant to the campaign of the Welsh Language Society...." (Roadrunner no. 46 p. 4) --Removal of signs continued for 18 months. IX. REACTION OF OPPONENTS a. Unencouraging response by county and town councils to 1967 letters from C.I.G. b. Favourable general response, by the Welsh Office -- would consider authorising signs under traffic signs regulation. But then insisted on a separate application for each sign. C. Arrest and Fines for individual illegal actions. Charge -- malicious damage for painting, stealing signs and handling stolen property for removing signs. This continued throughout the campaign. Property seizure and imprisonment for refusal to pay fines. i 5

d.Passin g the Buck i. "danger" bi-lingual signs would be hard to read and therefore dangerous. ii. to the law -- equal validity is not bi-lingualism. e. LeadersThey Arrested were fined. for incitement to create malicious damage. County and town councils began applying for bi-lingual signs. g. Bowen Committee set up by the Welsh Office -- to explore the situation and, "to appease public discontent" (Sym. of this. p.12) h. Conspiracy charges brought against 7 leading members and the printer who printed the proclamation placed on the signs. All received suspended sentenses (1 acquitted). i. Police inconsistanc in making arrests-who was arrested and when varied greatly, though they tended to arrest young people and students and let older more prominent people off -- even at the same demonstrations. j. Court inconsistancy in the way trials were conducted and the punishments meted out varied widely throughout the campaign. k. Bi-lingual signs were erected by local authorities and others even before the Bowen Committee report. 1. Concession by the Welsh Office -- preparation for massive changeover. This too, before the Bowen Committee report. X. RESULTS a. Bi-lingual signs have been erected.: by local authorities where others have needed replacing. (C.I.G. has seen to it that many signs have needed replacing.) The extent of this varies. some areas there are even a few public signs in Welsh only. All central government road signs are still in English only. Still to be seen -- painted signs, painted and then cleaned signs, signs covered with CYMRAEGI stickers and signs with pieces missing. I understand that some areas have been almost totally without signs. b. Bowen Committee Re ort which came out in 1972 recommended that all public signs in Wales be bi-lingual with the Welsh first. C. Present Situation (Dec. 1973) The announcement of a decision by the WeIsh Office on road signs has long been promised, but is yet to come. Signs at the new Wrecsam (Wrexham) by-pass are in English only. At least one of these has been removed. If the decision is unsatisfactory, ie. if the Welsh does not appear first, signs will again be removed. This case study is not as complete as I might have liked it to be, and undoubtedly there are errors. The spirit of the campaign, the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg people, and their ability to maintain pressure for an extended period under heavy opposition is most impressive. A number of people were arrested time and time again and spent time in gaol and lost property for not paying fines. One person sat his graduation examinations for the University College, Abertawe (Swansea) while in gaol. Mary Fancier, December 1973

For reference: Office of Cymdeitha yr Iaith Gymraeg Tanrallt Machynlleth Maldwyn Wales Sources for this case study: 1) Symbolau Cyfiawnder/Symbols of Justice -- report of the roadsigns campaign published bi-lingually by Cwmni Gwasg Rydd Caerdydd 127 Ffordd y Claude Y Rhath Caerdydd (Cardiff) Wales 2) Achos y Naw and Contempt Cases -- report of the Carmarthen Road signs trial and resulting contempt cases by Phil Bach, Cwmni Gwasg Rydd Caerdydd 3) Manifesto of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg 4) Nonviolent Nationalism by Gwynfor Evans, Alex Wood memorial lecture 1973, FOR 9 Coombe Rd. New Maiden, Surrey England 5) The Welsh Extremist by Ned Thomas, Y Lolfa Talybont Ceredigion WaIes 6) Wales and the Welsh by Trevor Fishlock 7) Planet various issues ed. Ned Thomas Llangeitho Tregaron Ceredigi on Tales 8) Conversations within the campaign some of the people involved 9) Catonsville Road Runner issue no 46 28 Brundretts Road, Chorlton, Manchester 21, England 10) Peace News has articles about C.I.G. regularly 5 Caledonian Road, London NI, England