Swansea Council “in need of History Lesson” say Plaid
Swansea Council are “in need of a history lesson” according to Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Dr Dai Lloyd.
The comments come after the council removed a Cofiwch Dryweryn mural that had been painted on a wall on the beach. The original mural was painted on a wall in Llanrhystyd, Ceredigion. The wall had been defaced with the name Elvis at the beginning of the year, repainted with the original message to Remember Tryweryn, however, several weeks later the wall was partially destroyed by vandals sparking outrage and then rebuilt and repainted by volunteers from across Wales.
The mural commemorates the drowning of the village of Capel Celyn by the British government in order to provide water to Liverpool, despite massive protests and every Welsh MP voting against the plans.
Following the vandalism of the wall in Llanrhystyd, murals started to appear across the country, and can now be seen in almost every town in Wales. However, Swansea council have removed one of the murals in the city, sparking anger online and from local residents.
Dr Lloyd stated,
“This is a very short sighted move by the Labour led Swansea council, who will be remembered on the wrong side of history. Clearly the vandalism of the Llanrhystyd memorial earlier this year inspired people across Swansea to paint the message across the city and bring the message to Remember Tryweryn closer to home.
I would suggest senior figures in the council are in need of a history lesson, as they are clearly ignorant to the ills and injustices our country has suffered at the hands of the British state.”
Dr Lloyd went on to draw comparisons between the mural and Banksy’s work in Port Talbot, which received protection from both Neath Port Talbot council, stating,
“Recently we saw graffiti artist Banksy have his work in Port Talbot protected by Neath Port Talbot council. This begs the question; would Swansea council have removed a Banksy painting, like they have a mural to the history of Wales?”
