Hundreds of people attended the 'No to S4C Cuts' protest meeting at the BBC building on Priory Street in Carmarthen today. Speaking were Dafydd Iwan, Nerys Evans AM, Ffred Ffransis and Llew and Steffan from Ysgol Bro Myrddin and the young local band 'Cyfoes' also entertained the crowd.Sioned Elin, Carmarthenshire Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith said:"Everyone must wake up to the realisation, that S4C, as we know it, could come to an end by 2015. The BBC has betrayed the people of Wales by cooperating with the London Government to take over the channel. As a consequence S4C, from 2015 onwards, will be but a sub department of the BBC being forced to compete for resources. We must stop this from happening."Following the protest outside the BBC, protestors travelled to the office of Simon Hart MP in Whitland, in order to voice their opposition to the Government's decision to ignore the stated opinion of all the political parties in Wales. Menna Machreth, Cymdeithas yr Iaith broadcasting spokesperson said:"Before Christmas every party leader in Wales wrote to David Cameron, asking for a 'comprehensive audit' of the channel, but the request was refused. Not only did the Government not consult anyone in Wales on their last-minute plan for the BBC to take over the channel, they have also ignored every political party leader in Wales."Simon Hart MP has played a part in the deception by trying to mislead members of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in an email where he lied about the size of the budget cuts to S4C in comparison with other organisations and establishments funded by the DCMS. In an email to a member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith, Simon Hart said:"... we discussed the matter with the PM direct which I think made a real difference in that the final announcement showed that the S4C cuts were in fact less than anywhere else in DCMS."Ms Machreth added:"This is a total lie: the truth is that a large number of organisations and establishment that are funded by the DCMS will see far less severe cuts than the 24.4% imposed on S4C.'The British Museum, Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, and a host of other museums in London will see a 15% cut. Whilst the Royal Household will see a 13% cut. ""Rather than trying to put a 'spin' on the situation and misleading people about the size of the budget cuts to the channel, politicians such as Simon Hart should work on ensuring that S4C would be taken out of the Public Bodies Bill. The independence of management of S4C and complete editorial independence must be guaranteed without any interference from the BBC or the Government. An independent funding formula for the Welsh language channel, based on inflation, is essential to ensure equitable funding to create high quality Welsh language programming. We recognize that S4C could perform better - that's why we campaign for a new S4C, but that will not be possible under the proposed plans."200 yn protestio am S4C, BBC Cymru, 19/02/2011Language society's BBC Carmarthen studio demo over S4C, BBC Wales, 19/02/2011BBC 'has betrayed the Welsh people' over plans for S4C, Wales on Sunday, 20/02/2011