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Anger as far-right group uses Yma o Hyd in promotional video

By Mark Mansfield
Dafydd Iwan's response to Voice of Wales using Yma o Hyd in a promotional video without permission.

Martin Shipton

Legendary singer Dafydd Iwan is furious after a racist far-right group used his anthemic song Yma o Hyd in a promotional video without his permission.

Voice of Wales posted on Facebook a video of a car driving round the Llanelli area with Welsh flags on display at bus stops, on lampposts and in other roadside locations with Yma o Hyd playing as a soundtrack.

The group, which is run by convicted fraudster Dan Morgan and Englishman Stan Robinson, who once advocated the castration of a TV journalist with a ‘rust blade’, is associated with the racist activist and serial criminal who uses the name Tommy Robinson.

After being banned from YouTube for the racist content of their videos, Morgan and Robinson now broadcast their xenophobic diatribes on Facebook.

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Survival

Yma o Hyd (We are still here) was recorded by Dafydd Iwan and the folk band Ar Log in 1983. It celebrates the survival of the Welsh language and culture over the centuries despite attempts by the English to crush it. During the period when the song was written, decisions taken by the Thatcher government like the closure of coal mines had a devastating impact on Wales’ economy and gave the song an additional resonance.

In recent years Yma o Hyd has almost become a second Welsh national anthem because of its exposure to a wider audience at football and rugby matches.

Dafydd Iwan became well-known in the 1960s as a singer-songwriter who championed the Welsh language and the cause of an independent Wales. He is a former president of Plaid Cymru.

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Reform UK supporters group

As Nation.Cymru has reported, Dan Morgan of Voice of Wales was recently revealed as the driving force behind a Reform UK supporters’ group in Swansea. It is not surprising, therefore, that Dafydd Iwan is infuriated that his song has been misappropriated by people who revere Margaret Thatcher and her right-wing policies which have been widely perceived as anti-Welsh.

In a message to Nation.Cymru, Dafydd Iwan said: “I am very anxious to put a stop to this misuse of my song, so any help will be appreciated. I doubt whether redress is possible, because technically anyone can misuse songs if they wish. But I must make it obvious that it is against my wishes, and that could help me get the message across if they persist.”

He has posted on social media graphics which state, in Welsh and English: “Yma o Hyd is a song of hope for everyone who calls Wales home. No one has my permission to use it to promote hatred.

“It was written against Thatcher then, and it’s against Farage now - we must reject these charlatans.

“Join Plaid Cymru and Yes Cymru for a better Wales.”

Council seats

In recent months Reform UK has won two county council seats from Labour at by-elections in the Llanelli constituency.

A political source said: “Their supporters are trying to pretend that they are sympathetic to the Welsh language and culture by wrapping themselves in Y Ddraig Goch and playing Yma o Hyd. Yet only last week one of their senior people in Wales let slip during a broadcast interview that Reform does not see protecting the Welsh language as a priority. They are taking the people of Wales for fools.”

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14 comments

Fi yn unig

Da iawn Dafydd Iwan a diolch yn fawr iawn I chi. ‘Yma O Hyd’ is your beautiful song which has become our beautiful song and none shall tarnish it. The anti Welsh extinctionist scum who abuse our song and our flag cannot allow their true intentions for our country to be known but that is already failing and out of this bad situation came the good which was your robust rebuttal and it will resonate with people throughout our land. It will certainly have cost them votes. If they were to be transparently honest, (no chance), they would be wrapped in a Union flag and would have a song called ‘We hate Wales and we’re going to kill it’ but that won’t happen as they are still deluded enough to believe they can get their abolitionist agenda past us under the radar. When we have destroyed this threat, we will forever be singing ‘Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth, ry’n ni yma o hyd’.

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Steve D.

Reform and other far right parties will do anything to get elected and sadly many people will fall for it, just as they did with Brexit. We can't allow it to happen again next May, there's just too much at stake.

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Ernie The Smallholder

It is Dafydd Iwan's song and he holds the copyright to this song. Those fascists have infringed the copyright.

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Zarah Daniel

Very true, but paying lawyers costs money and I don't think most folk singers make a lot - even the really popular ones. Unless he can find a kind one who knows IP law and that's willing to write him a cheap "Cease and desist" letter then he's going to struggle to fight back. Maybe he could get a go-fund-me going for a Solicitor to take them on. If he could get funds to start the proceedings I think they might be willing to do it on the cheap for the positive publicity that comes along with being the legal team that fights fascism. I really do wish him good luck. To take what he created and use it in such a disgusting way must feel like such a violation of all of his values and I feel for him.

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Garycymru

This is the level of absolute disgustingness that these groups lower themselves to. Unfortunately its down to decent Welsh people to keep this filth out of our communities.

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Johnny

These people are holding a protest tomorrow outside the Holiday Inn by Cardiff Airport in Rhoose.The 22nd of August at 5:30pm. If you want to oppose these people then please join the counter protest taking place under the banner Stop the Fascists in Rhoose.

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Daniel Pitt

Reminds me of the British National Party using If You Tolerate This by Maic Street Preachers. These far-right English nationalist neanderthals lack the requisite self-awareness to realise we're talking about them. And not in glowing terms by any measure.

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Fi yn unig

Nicky Wires’ lyrics were written specifically to oppose this very thing. Not that I’m speaking for him but when we have known his writing angle for all the years, we know. Given that Reform UK are the rebranded BNP, a re-release of ‘If you tolerate this’ would be timely next April in the run up to our existential election.

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Zarah Daniel

"Existential election".......yup - bang on!!! I agree with the idea of a re-release, along with a full campaign detailing what "this" is in the UK right now and what it is in the US (which Farrage is desperate to copy because he thinks it would make him look tough). People need to really pay attention to how bad it is getting and how much worse it could get very easily.

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David Richards

On Reform and by-elections i would point out that while the party did win a recent council by-election in Llangennech they have failed to make a impression in 4 other recent council by-elections in Wales.

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Fanny Hill

Not a good look for the people of Lliedi or Llangennech.

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Zarah Daniel

Unfortunately, here as everywhere, people who are broke and feel completely disheartened are open to being manipulated by a smooth talking con-man like Farrage. I'm sad as hell that they felt willing to vote for the lying, self-serving and completely England-centric Reform who will never lift a finger to help anyone in Wales but....... Look around - we all complained that Westminster barely knew Wales existed and so we got The Senedd. Now that decisions are made in Wales what do we find? There's a big circle which extends a few miles West and North of Cardiff and a bit East of Newport and pretty much all of Wales exists within that circle. If you live in West, Mid, or North Wales you are expected to be profoundly grateful when you get the occasional scraps from the table. Wales should have got a huge chunk of money because HS2 did NOT come to Wales....what happened? They electrified as far as Cardiff and told Wales that was good enough. This is what got Trump elected -TWICE!!!! The Left were so complacent about the votes they got in working class communities that they took them for granted and people started to ask, "Well, we voted for you so how are you actually acting for our benefit? What is improving in our dying town?" and they got ideals instead of answers..... That's when they started listening to the con-man. He's making lots of promises and he won't follow through on any of them (he might as well write them on the side of a bus!) but people without hope want something to believe in. If that is not going to be the hate-mongers then the Labour party, the Lib Dems, Plaid and the Greens (and, quite frankly, any politico with a pulse) needs to prove that they really have answers to people's real problems.

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Y Cymro

This is typical of these far-right scumbags. To use and abuse a legitimate protest song with a just message for their disgusting campaign of hate. It makes me both sick to the pit of my stomach and angry to think that these two secretions are tainting both Yma o Hyd and Y Ddraig Goch. I hope Dafydd Iwan sues the backside off these two pubic lice.

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Replying to Garycymru Cancel

This is the level of absolute disgustingness that these groups lower themselves to. Unfortunately its down to decent Welsh people to keep this filth out of our communities.

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