On Wednesday the second of August at 10.a.m, Angharad Elen Blythe will appear in Cardiff Magistrates’ Court. She will be the last member of Cymdeithas to face a court appearance following a period of direct action against the Assembly Government in 2005 calling for a New Welsh Language Act.

Angharad’s case has underlined the ineffectiveness of the Language Act of 1993 and the desperate need to introduce new and all inclusive legislation in the Welsh language field. This case happens over seven months after Angharad’s arrest for painting a slogan on the National Assembly’s building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, calling for a New Welsh Language Act.Angharad received a bail form and 3 summonses in English only, and not one officer was available in South Wales Police was able to deal with her case through the medium of Welsh. Angharad was forced to travel from north Wales to Cardiff twice only to find out that it wasn’t possible to proceed through the medium of Welsh. Under the terms of the 1993 Welsh Language Act, courts are obliged to communicate with defendants bilingually.Indeed, securing this right was one of Cymdeithas’ first campaigns in 1962. South Wales Police were harshly criticised by the judge of the postponed case, and he promised to submit an official complaint informing them that they were interfering with the legal process by not adhering to their Welsh language scheme.Catrin Dafydd, chair of Cymdeithas’ New Welsh Language Act Group said,"The way in which Angharad’s rights as a Welsh speaker have been ignored is completely unacceptable. This court case has been a weight on her shoulders for over seven months, and the reasons for this are the unwillingness of South Wakes Police to adhere to their own Welsh Language scheme, and the inability of the 1993 Welsh Language Act to punish this.""Angharad is the last member of Cymdeithas to face a court case following the period of direct action against the Assembly Government. The other members have received fines of various magnitude, and forcing someone to wait seven months to receive such a penalty is to be condemned.""Angharad’s case happens in a period of continued consultation with political parties, which has shown the breadth of the consensus in favour of a New Welsh Language Act, and a fortnight before Cymdeithas members travel around Wales on the Language Act Tour, which will spread the message to all areas of Wales and collect names on a petition which will be presented to the National Assembly Government."South Wales Echo - Welsh language vandal vows to continue protest