WELSH LANGUAGE ACTIVISTS ON THE MOVE - Languages - http://maxpages.com/defender/Welsh

In a message dated 10/9/2004 12:52:56 AM Pacific Standard Time, sumuroy1998@yahoo.com (Harvey Fiji)writes:

SOURCE:
http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4775

Welsh language activists ready to face prison
Welsh version below

Abergele 10/6/2004 , by Huw Morgan

The Welsh language pressure group Cymuned has stepped up its
campaign to protect the Welsh-speaking heartlands. Formed three
years ago, the group has concentrated up to now on lobbying the
Welsh Assembly Government, local authorities and various other
bodies. Although they produced detailed plans on how to save these
communities, Cymuned say that they have been ignored. They say that
it is now time to act.

Just over a week ago, twenty members blocked the main route from
England to mid-Wales in protest at the continuing migration of
English speakers into Wales. Although there were no arrests, chief
executive Aran Jones say that when these protests continue its
members expect to be arrested and possibly jailed. Mr Jones says
that it has over 250 members who are willing to take part in these
illegal activities, and possibly face prison. "These people are
mainly professional people, with family and work commitments," said
Mr Jones. "This is not a short term campaign by university students.
This shows the strength of feeling that exists about the crisis in
the Welsh speaking areas."

On October 23rd, in the ancient Welsh capital of Machynlleth,
Cymuned will publish its Declaration of the Rights of the Welsh
Speaking Communities. The first step of this Declaration says that
the Assembly should recognise that Welsh-speaking areas have a moral
right to exist. "If the Assembly Government does not react
positively to this Declaration within a few months," says Aran
Jones, "then we will have no option other than to take direct
action."

Mr Jones was naturally reluctant to discuss what sort of action its
members would take but said that they had received advice from
environmental campaign groups such as Greenpeace and anti-
capitalists Rucus, advice on such things as how to react to the
police and the media during and after protests.

"We will be using tactics such as those used successfully by the
environmentalists," said Mr Jones. "They have caused many problems
for developers and the authorities. Over the years, the
environmentalists have succeeded in changing people's attitudes, and
this is what we will be trying to do for the Welsh language."

( This is also how we do it: by comparing our endangered languages to
endangered species, both flora and fauna. Similar to what the Welsh who are planning to adopt the same system as their environmentalists, which is, to change people's attitude, some of us have already started doing this. We try to change the people's attitude such as by disseminating information on language preservation to school authorities. We have to change the attitude of the teachers first, because they are the ones who mould the youth of the land. - CabaleRn )

The decision to take direct action was made by Cymuned at its annual
general meeting two years ago. Since then, says Aran Jones, they
have been planning this campaign of direct action. "We have made a
lot of research, studying movement patterns in various areas and
contacting other direct action groups," he added.

"There has been a lot of work within the movement in gaining support
for this campaign, preparing our members, making sure what our
rights are if arrested and securing legal advice in general."

The aim of the protests is to secure support for the
Declaration. "We hope that various bodies such as community councils
will recognise the existence of y Fro Gymraeg (Welsh-speaking
areas). This would be an important step forward," says Aran Jones.

The movement has secured support from language movements in Europe,
especially in Brittany and the Basque Country, and members have been
invited to take part in the European Social Forum, arranged by the
Basques, in two weeks time.

Cymuned says that they have the support of many Welsh learners and
non Welsh-speakers who have moved to the Welsh-speaking areas, with
at least half those who took part in the road-blocking protest being
non Welsh-speakers. The movement is not against immigration per se,
but it is the scale of the immigration and the fact that many do not
try to learn the language or understand the culture.

( It is the same way with our case. We want those that immigrate to our
respective indigenous territories (Bisaya, Bikol, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, etc.)
to learn the languages there and not just rely on their knowledge of Tagalog. I know
of some Bulakenyas who were married to Pampanguenos and who, after some ten years living in Pampanga, became fluent speakers of the area. However, I also know
of a Bulakenya who did not put any effort in learning the language, and so can't speak it yet after almost three decades in Pampanga. She communicates with her Kapampangan-speaking children in Tagalog. - CabaleRn )

Up to now, the reaction of the Labour Party, who rule the government
in the assembly, has been lukewarm, but if Cymuned's protests were
to increasingly make the headlines, the movement hope that the
authorities will be forced to implement their plans to secure a
future for the Welsh-speaking areas. (Eurolang)

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A nice news article that reflects the aspirations of DILA-UNT!

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