Thousands join latest march for independence in Barry

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Barry on Saturday in support of Welsh independence.

South Wales Police estimated that over six thousand people followed the circular route from the town’s King's Square.

The size of the match, organised by YesCymru and AUOBCymru, was significantly larger than  anticipated by the police and was more than twice the size of the march last year in Carmarthen.

There was particular significance in the selection of Barry to host the march, reflecting a legacy dating back to the 19th century, when the town played a key role in the Cymru Fydd movement for Welsh self-government in the 1890s.

Groups from Catalonia and Flanders also attended the march, which was followed by a rally in King's Square featuring speeches from former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Catalan campaigner Anna Arqué i Solsona, political activist Kiera Marshall, Wales Green Party spokesperson Tessa Marshall and singer-songwriter Eädyth Crawford.

For the first time at a March for Independence, all speakers and performers – other than the MC – were women.

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'Celebration'

Kiera Marshall, a 27-year-old activist from Swansea, and a Plaid Cymru candidate at the last general election, said:” “How can we afford not to be independent? The UK system keeps us poor, while our children go hungry and cold.

"We are the generation bearing the brunt of this system – but we are also the generation who will change it. I cannot wait to stand here again one day, not in protest, but in celebration of a free and fair Wales.”

Leanne Wood said:” “It’s time to end our dependence. We have an opportunity to build an alternative to the failed economic model that serves the City of London while leaving crumbs for communities in Wales. In the face of growing intolerance and hate, our movement must offer hope. We know our country can do better.”

Anna Arqué i Solsona, spokesperson for the International Commission of European Citizens (ICEC), added: “Movements like ours believe democracy is the best path to full self-determination, even when it clashes with the interests of the states we’re trapped within. That’s why solidarity among our nations is vital.”

Tessa Marshall from the Wales Green Party added: “We can’t afford to stay shackled to the British state.

"Child poverty in Wales is not the result of bad choices – it’s decades of underinvestment and decisions made far from communities like ours. An independent Wales can stand for children, end hunger and cold homes, and fund a decent start to life.”

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Opinion poll

The Barry march follows a recent Redfield & Wilton poll commissioned by YesCymru, which showed that 41% of decided voters would vote for independence – rising to 72% among 25 to 34-year-olds.

Reflecting on those figures, Mark Hooper said:  “41 percent support Independence now, that's amazing. But we haven't won. So, how do we win now, is the next stage.

"One of the key things though, is that 72% of 25 to 34-year-olds support Independence, and they're the people who've lost out most in the system that we've got.

“So, for those who are a bit older, it's now up to us to work with them to deliver Independence.”