A language activist will appear in court this week (Wednesday, 9th February) after spray-painting the word "Hawliau" (Rights) on the Assembly Government building in Cardiff in protest over a recently-passed language law.Eighteen Assembly Members supported an unsuccessful amendment to the recent language law to create general rights to the Welsh language, a legal presumption in favour of individuals receiving Welsh language services.The Welsh language law was passed in December last year and will make Welsh an official language in Wales and create the role of Language Commissioner.On the same day as the court case, language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg will launch a new campaign called "Hawliau i'r Gymraeg" (Rights to the Language). The defendant, Jamie Bevan from Merthyr Tydful, claims that his recent treatment by the courts is an example of the problem of a lack of Welsh language rights:"Since the action we have won official status for the language and Cymdeithas yr Iaith has warmly welcomed that. But the right to use the language in every aspect of life is still missing, such as in a bank or supermarket. Even in the places where we already expect some sort of Welsh language services, like the courts, it's patchy and inconsistent. Often, you have to ask over and over for it, and sometimes it doesn't exist at all. How can we expect people to use the Welsh language if we haven't got the confident and certainty that full services are available where they should be?"A perfect example is my own court case. While trying to contact the court in Cardiff to discuss the details, I had to spend over half-an-hour on the phone, being passed from one person to the next, from one phone number to the other, only to discover that no-one was available to deal with my queries in Welsh. And that was after choosing a Welsh service."Catrin Dafydd, Language Rights spokesperson for Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg said:"There was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to the people of Wales. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step."As the law stands at the moment, there is no principle driving the duties on bodies that will be asked to provide Welsh language services, and so from today onwards, we will rename our campaign to "Rights to the Welsh language" because that is the principle which is missing in the law. Official status on its own will not empower people in their communities, and that defect of the law is sure to become clear in the future. The inter-relationship between status and rights is undeniable, and the power that rights would have to ensure that standards are implemented effectively is completely clear. Our intention as campaigners is to call for new legislation in the next Assembly - legislation that would empower citizens by bestowing rights for people to see, hear, learn and use the language om their communities, right across Wales."