A number of young people in Carmarthenshire have occupied the BBC offices in Carmarthen today (Wednesday 23/2/11) as part of the campaign to prevent an agreement between the BBC and S4C, which they claim will destroy the channel's independence.Over the weekend, some 300 local people protested outside the BBC offices in Carmarthen to show their opposition to the plans. Bethan Williams, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg Chair said:"t is obvious that the betrayal of the Government and the BBC has angered people in Wales, the cuts to S4C are unfair and threaten the future of our only Welsh language channel, but people are not willing to accept these plans for S4C. It is important that we act now and show that we are united.""All the parties in the Assembly have asked Jeremy Hunt to stop these plans for S4C and to hold a full review of S4C before coming to a decision. The British Goverment is ignoring the voice of the people of Wales by refusing this request, they have not considered the opinions of Welsh people from the start of their dealings with S4C."The BBC now insist that it was the decision of the Government to make the BBC responsible for the channel. But, to MP's Mark Thompson, General Controller of the BBC said that the corporation agreed to these plans: "The agreement that was reached was one which was freely agreed to by the BBC ... the agreement was just that. It is an agreement rather than an imposition."

Menna Machreth added:"The deception of the BBC will not convince people in Wales. Weeks ago they attempted to argue that they had saved S4C, and then that the Government had forced them to take over S4C. The truth is that they have sacrificed the Welsh language and our only Welsh language channel in order to please their new bosses in the London Government.""The channel is not safe in their hands, they have recently decided to withdraw from the Urdd Eisteddfod, to spend less on Welsh language television and to get rid of a Welsh language website. Obviously our language is not important to them.""Under this proposed joint plan between the BBC and the London government, the channel's independence will completely disappear - it will be but a mere department of the BBC, with 40% less funding, and it is possible that ministers in London will have the power to get rid of the channel completely."In an email to Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, Carmarthen's local MP, the tory Simon Hart has said that his collectors have not shown a great deal of concern for the national channel, he said "In my constituency most of my mail bag is about health, education, police, housing and the wider economy" . He received over a 100 letters over the weekend opposing these plans.