HISTORIAN’S ANTI-WELSH TWEET TIRADE
AN English historian, novelist and television presenter has sparked outrage over comments she made about the Welsh language.
Lucy Inglis implied that Welsh was a contributing factor to poverty in Wales and that she had found Welsh speakers to be rude.
She tweeted: “As nippers, we were made to go on hardship camps to Wales, where the people were actively hostile.
“The would switch from English to Welsh in order to exclude you, as they were buckling you up for abseiling.”
She made disparaging comments towards Welsh language channel S4C, stating that it can “get f****d”.
And she added: “Wales is very beautiful, but I have never experienced anything but rudeness there, as a child or an adult.”
The comments have since provoked a strong response, with a number of people commenting on social media.
Plaid Cymru AM Neil McEvoy challenged the author, writing on Twitter “Do you stand by your racist comments about Wales and our language?”
Sara Huws wrote: “Really disappointed to read Lucy Inglis’ comments about Wales and people like me, who live here and speak Welsh.”
Dan Roberts said: “That’s so weird because when I go to England and tell them all to stop speaking English everyone is v(ery) polite.”
Twitter user @PA_humbug wrote: “If this seems to be a lifelong reaction to your presence, possibly an understandable reaction to your obvious bigotry?”
Other social media users politely suggested that she was clearly visiting “the wrong parts of Wales”.
Meanwhile, an online blogger has been praised for her witty reposte to the author.
Y Gwladgrawr wrote: “Lucy, let me take a moment to educate you. You see, when we speak Welsh, it isn’t because we’re rude or racist, and it isn’t designed to ostracise and demean self-important you.
“The reason some of us speak Welsh to each other is because it is as natural as you and your friends in the shadow of St Paul’s speaking English.
“We speak Welsh on this side of the border because it’s our language. You speak English on your side because it’s yours.
“We have fought hard to retain Welsh because it is us and we are it. It’s a part of our heritage and our history, something that a historian and educator should surely appreciate without rancour.
“I wonder why you object and can only put it down to sheer proud ignorance combined with racism. There can be no other explanation.”
She added: “I’m sorry you feel excluded by us and hope you never come back here but should you ever patronise us with a revisit, it would serve you well to bear in mind that we’re not being rude when speaking Welsh within your earshot. We are actually being bloody polite by switching to English to accommodate you.
“So to conclude, I kindly suggest that you and all people with a similar sense of entitlement revise their colonial attitudes and accept that you do not, can not, never have been and never will be more important than what we as a small nation of proud, generous, open-minded, tolerant people have been put through by your precious England.
“Despite everything that has been thrown at us, we are still here. Attitudes like yours only serve to make us stronger.”
Lucy Inglis has been approached for comment.