A protest by members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg in Morrisons Caernarfon was held on Saturday (May 3rd, 2008). The store’s English only leaflets were presented back to the company in a large pile at the shop’s entrance. Members went on to try to take down a large English only sign from the roof inside the shop. Stickers were also placed in the shop reading 'Where's the Welsh.' Police were called, but no arrests were made.
Bethan Williams, Chair of Cymdeithas' New Welsh Language Act Group, said:"We are targeting companies that are happy to make huge profit from the people of Wales, but are unwilling to provide a truly bilingual service. We call on thepeople of Wales to send letters of complaint to these companies regarding their ineffective Welsh language policies.""We call on these companies to ensure that every permanent sign is bilingual, that all temporary signage, marketing leaflets, Tannoy announcements andown-brand labeling are bilingual. We also call on them to use local produce where possible and to establish training schemes for staff in order to enable them to work and provide a service through the medium of Welsh."Mair Evans, an officer of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Gwynedd added:"In meeting after meeting with Morrisons they have promised to follow particular steps towards a bilingual policy. Thus far, none of these steps have been taken. Because of this slow response, we have taken this action to show the seriousness of the situation. This is a company which makes untold profit from Welsh communities yet refuses to respect them. Cymdeithas yr Iaith stand against this apathy shown by the company, and believe that the future of the Welsh language is of far greater importance than the pockets of shareholders of large companies.""We call on the National Assembly to ensure that any legislation regarding the Welsh language includes the private sector, as it is obvious that depending on goodwill alone to ensure bilingual services is not realistic.”Cymdeithas yr Iaith will now turn their attention to Boots and Superdrug during May and June, 2008.
