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Witness History: 'The bad boy of Welsh politics'

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'The bad boy of Welsh politics'

22/12/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, 'The bad boy of Welsh politics'

In 1969, the singer Dafydd Iwan campaigned for official recognition of the Welsh language

In January 1969, the singer Dafydd Iwan defaced an English police station sign in Wales. It was a key moment in his campaign for the official recognition of the Welsh language.

In the 1960s, the singer Dafydd Iwan started campaigning for the Welsh language to gain official status in Wales. 

For years, Dafydd received little support. In January 1969 he decided to up the pressure, defacing a police station sign written in English with paint. 

He ended up in prison, but soon young people across the country were picking up paint pots and taking up the cause. 

Today, the Welsh language is found in schools, on documents and on police station signs. Dafydd tells Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty about his activism and singing.

(Photo: Dafydd after his release from Cardiff prison. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)

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