As a long term committed Cymric patriot, activist and nationalist, it was most encouraging to see such a large crowd marching for Cymric Independence in Caernarfon last Saturday and the organizers of the march are to be commended for organizing and stewarding such a large event so successfully so, well done AUOB/YES CYMRU.
However, what was very sad and disturbing as far as I'm concerned was to see one of the speakers, Dafydd Iwan, stating his love for Caernarfon castle - our Welsh Bastille.
His reasoning was that he loved the castle because it symbolized that "Edward 1's project" had failed! Really?
As far as I'm aware, we, as a nation have been under occupation for over 700yrs! Edward 1 and his forces destroyed the Royal dynasty of Gwynedd, murdered both Princes Llywelyn and Dafydd AP Gruffydd, imprisoned their wives and children and left them to rot in English dungeons or nunneries, and stole the Cymric royal treasures including the sacred Croes Naid.
He then used the sweat and blood of Cymric prisoners of war and serfs as slaves to build Caernarfon castle as a symbol of conquest along with a walled town which he swiftly filled with English settlers.
Since then and over the centuries, other brave patriot princes such as Madog ap Llywelyn and Owain Glyndŵr have risen in challenge to that castle and English rule in Cymru and many brave patriots have perished for their efforts,
If it were not for the sacrifices of brave warrior patriots of the past, Cymru and Cymric speakers would not have survived to this day.
That castle is dripping in Cymric blood and Mr Iwan knows this as well as I do but now has the audacity to openly declare that he loves it!
Yes, Mr Iwan "we are still here" but as a colony of England, and as for the castle now being ours, really! then, why do we, "the owners", are expected to pay an exorbitant entrance fee to go into it and why is there an exhibition of the 'English Princes of Wales' within rather than an exhibition of the Princes of the Royal House of Gwynedd along with the truth as to what happened to them and their families?
Maybe Mr Iwan can tell us why the 1969 Investiture throne is kept in the castle along with the Investiture slate dais which has pride of place on the castle green? Would it have anything to do with an imminent 3rd Investiture in the castle I wonder? and when the proposed Investiture is announced, will Mr Iwan then be delivering speeches stating that we must not protest.
I ask the above question as It had come as a shock to myself and many others when Mr Iwan, a patriot I had always had great respect for, accepted an invitation to visit Charles Windsor at his holiday home in Sir Caerfyrddin, and I, amongst others pondered over why the invitation was extended. Mr Iwan may be well known in Cymru but, is he that important that he gets an invitation to visit the Heir to the English throne for a pow wow - and why now?
The English State would only extend such an invitation if they wanted something out of it, did they want Mr Iwan's assistance in ensuring that there were no re-occurrences of the 1969 protests when the next investiture takes place?
Mr Iwan has had a number of platforms on recent TV programmes where he has already stated that he will not protest at the next Investiture - which is fair enough, he faced hostility from royalists during the last one, is now elderly and, no doubt, just wants a quiet life in his well feathered nest in Caeathro but, seeing as he has already tried to hoodwink us all into accepting and embracing that 'symbol of conquest' in Caernarfon, betraying thousands of our patriot dead in doing so,
I do hope now that he is not going to try and hoodwink us into accepting another Investiture of yet another English Prince as "Prince of Wales" with no protest. If he does, my advice to all now embracing the dream of Cymric Independence and who are actively campaigning hard to achieve it is, please do not be hoodwinked!
The "Prince of Wales" role is the strongest tool that the English State have to keep us forged to the British State, so they have to keep it going, and the moment the next Investiture takes place, the dream of Cymric Independence is well and truly over.
Siân Ifan
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