#Welsh News

[aeolianblues]

THERE ARE NO TORIES LEFT IN WALES

[crynwr-drwg]

Activists only ordered to pay a partial fine after five day trial in Caernarfon Crown Court.

Judge describes ‘most moving’ speech about the need to take action against genocide in Gaza.

The trial of the ‘Solvay Three’ concluded on Friday 19th of April at Caernarfon Court, bringing an end to what the defence described as a ‘David versus Goliath case’.  The three were on trial over a factory occupation in Wrexham in 2021 coordinated by the group Palestine Action, where they had sought to disrupt the supply of military equipment being sent to Israel and used in the killing and persecution of Palestinians.  During the trial, Solvay admitted to making parts for the F-35 fighter jet, which is known to be used by the Israeli military.  One the eve of the verdict, the prosecution offered the defendants Owain Parry, Mark Redfern and Thomas Bell a lesser punishment in the form of a fine if they were to accept a guilty plea. 

Due to the fact that their legal defences had already been thrown out and the verdict would ultimately come down to whether the jury believed they had committed any criminal damage or not, Mr Parry pleaded guilty in the morning to 1 count of criminal damage and was fined a total of £534. The judge had described all of the defendants as, ‘of good character, with no previous convictions, who have done a lot for their communities’. She continued, ‘If there is to be a guilty plea, I know your feelings are well entrenched, but I will allow you to make a closing statement’. The prosecution claimed that Solvay’s losses were in excess of £60,000 including the loss of production at the factory on the day of the protest. However, the judge did not believe it to be appropriate for the defendants to pay such damages, due to financial situations of those in question, and that Solvay is an ‘international, multi-billion-pound company’. Instead, she believed it best for the fines to go towards the emergency services to recuperate costs from attending the protests and removing the defendants from the scene. Upon delivering Mr. Parry’s sentence, the judge remarked that he, ‘Did an honourable thing’, she continued, ‘As part of the Welsh Underground Network, you were approached by an organisation more sophisticated than yourselves’ referring to Palestine Action. ‘You were a young man with ideals. You were told about what was being made at the factory, believed them, and acted upon it. You have served your community well from a young age, and that goes in your favour’. At the time, all men had been members of the Welsh Underground Network, but the occupation was coordinated by Palestine Action. 

The remaining two defendants, Mr. Redfern and Mr. Bell, decided to maintain their not guilty pleas, leaving the verdict for the jury to decide. The judge reminded the jury that the defendants had no legal defences left, “You (the jury), are here to decide if the actions constitute damage. You should take the defendant’s good character and total lack of previous offences or since, into consideration,” she said.  The prosecution then began their closing statement, within which they made little to no reference to the military equipment that was produced at the factory, as had been admitted by the Solvay site director earlier in the week. The prosecution then continued to denounce Palestine Action as ‘sinister, shadowy figures’, stating that the defendants had committed the crime for, ‘maximum publicity with minimum effort’. They continued, “We live in a functioning democracy, where there are correct channels to do such things,” in reference to the defendants’ actions to stop the supply chain of weapons and equipment headed for Israel. This statement was met by a handful of scoffs and raised eyebrows by those sitting in the gallery watching the trial. “I do not doubt that they are good people,” referring to the two remaining defendants, “However, someone waiting for an ambulance on that day might not agree.” The first of the defendants to give their closing statement was Mr. Bell, who had at this stage, elected to represent himself to deliver his statement, which read, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the right to protest is a very human right. And I mean not only in the eyes of the law, but as something innate to human behaviour, we feel the need for action when we believe something is wrong.” “Wales is my home and has always been a nation of peace and a place that has a door open for those who need somewhere to keep warm. In 1923, the women of Wales organised an unprecedented appeal. 390, 296 women signed a memorial petition through the Welsh League of Nations Union, appealing to the women of America ‘from home to home’ and ‘hearth to hearth’, to join them in a call for ‘Law not War’. It was noted that the final petition was over 7 miles in length, all handwritten by the beautiful women of Wales.”

“The list of names is being digitised online and you can even see the addresses these women lived at. Maybe you’re from a house of a woman who demanded peace. Now I stand before you today as a man of Wales. A man who knows well what it means for a people to be disregarded in their own home, left defenceless.” “We know, that in the eyes of the law, that we have been left with no legal defence to rely on for our actions. But our actions need no defence, for we do not defend them. We have no regrets and carry no guilt. We have only played our part in the story of peace in Wales, and there will be a happy ending to that story, like the fairy tales told to us as children.” He continued, “But the children in Palestine aren’t as lucky. I mentioned the other day (referring to his own testimony) the story of the Bakr children on the beach in Gaza. Cousins, family, playing football and other games under the hot sun. They heard no fairytales, only the singing of drones day in and day out, until the last thing they heard was the screams of each other dying. They were so young.” “I ask myself these questions; what line do we draw in the sand? How many links in the chain around the neck of the disenfranchised is enough for us to get to sleep at night? How complicit are we willing to be? Companies think they are above the law, but I don’t believe that’s right.” He concluded with the poem ‘If I Must Die’ by Palestinian scholar, writer and activist Refaat Alareer, who was targeted and killed by Israeli drones in December 2023. The full poem is published below. 

The court and many members of the jury were clearly moved by Mr. Bell’s passionate speech, for which the judge thanked him for and admitted, “I wouldn’t have allowed your representatives to get away with that much, however, that was the most moving speech I have ever heard in this courtroom.” The final closing statement was issued by Mr. Redfern’s solicitor. She gave context on the actions of the defendants, stating how they deliberately targeted elements of the factory purely to halt production, and not to harm anyone. She described Mr. Redfern as, “diligent, practical, curious and careful.” She continued, “These were not the actions of just an angry man on a whim. He received a tip about the factory and did his own thorough research to confirm this. He has a history of researching and publishing on the issue,” referring to Redfern’s work for voice.wales and Planet Magazine, “He is intelligent, careful and precise.” The defence then went on to discuss the state of the roof, that nobody had been up there to conduct a survey in years and suggested that the company would not be able to verify the condition of its equipment on the roof because of this. She then described how the equipment was “brittle and in poor condition, it has not nor will be repaired. Solvay are a multi-billion-pound company, they can afford to pay for any necessary repairs.” Finally, the defence solicitor began to discuss how the company’s structure is unclear, as is what they produce, and began to use the prosecution’s phrase of ‘shadowy figures’ against them, however the judge overruled this. Having now heard all the evidence and closing statements, the jury were sent to confer and produce their verdict. Upon returning over half an hour later than intended, the jury finally delivered their guilty verdict for the two remaining defendants. The judge however, handed Mr. Bell and Mr. Redfern the most lenient sentence possible, also giving them a fine and no community order, but were ordered to pay £15 more each than Mr. Parry. The trial finally concluded with the judge thanking the jury and the court and allowed the three defendants to leave. She reminded them that the items confiscated off them will be destroyed and not returned, such as their ladder, tent, fire extinguishers and flares. “What about the crowbar, your honour?” asked Mr. Redfern, who’s question was met with a flurry of laughter from inside the court. “You won’t be getting that back either, Mr. Redfern.” she replied with a wry smile. 

[wachinyeya]

[ourtubahero-blog]

New meme format released. Pass it on.

[solarg0blin]

I redrew some Merlin characters to be more historically and culturally accurate! The text is their original names in a later Latin script, yoinked from a display in the Corinium Museum, Cirencester. (Sneaky edit to add: Y'all are incredibly welcome to use this in any way you want, I would love to see more of my home's culture being represented more accurately in media!!) (Also on Instagram)

Unlabelled version under the cut!!

[allthegeopolitics]

Students at Swansea University in Wales have won a commitment from the university administration to divest from Barclays Bank, which is alleged to be complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The decision came after a 28-day campus protest against Barclays, which is said to provide billions in loans to companies that provide weapons to Israel. It is one of the most significant concessions won by pro-Palestinian protesters yet. The university administration has also committed to ensuring that all of its investments follow an ethical investment policy. Moreover, it says that it will change the scholarship policy so that Palestinian students can access the process, and will not suppress any political speech on campus. According to the website of Britain’s Socialist Workers Party, the chancellor of the university has put these commitments in writing through an email to the students. The move was welcomed by the Palestine Society at Swansea University, which described it as an “important victory” as a result of their just demands. The society suggested that the university should also call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which is one of the student protesters’ demands.

Continue Reading.

[reasonsforhope]

"When Francois Beyers first pitched the concept of 3D ocean farming to the Welsh regulators, he had to sketch it on napkins. 

Today the seafood farm is much more than a drawing, but if you walked along the Welsh coastal path near St David’s, all you’d see is a line of buoys. As Beyers puts it: “It’s what’s below that’s important.”

Thick tussles of lustrous seaweed suspend from the buoys, mussels cling to its furry connective ropes and dangling Chinese lantern-esque nets are filled with oysters and scallops. 

“It’s like an underwater garden,” says Beyers, co-founder of the community-owned regenerative ocean farm, Câr-y-Môr. The 3-hectare site is part of a fledgling sector, one of 12 farms in the UK, which key players believe could boost ocean biodiversity, produce sustainable agricultural fertiliser and provide year-round employment in areas that have traditionally been dependent on tourism. 

Created in 2020 by Beyers and six family members, including his father-in-law – an ex-shellfish farmer – the motivation is apparent in the name, which is Welsh for “for the love of the sea”. ...

Pictured: Drone shot of Câr-y-Môr, which is on the site of abandoned mussel farms. Image: Scott Chalmers

Ocean farming comes from the technical term ‘integrated multi-trophic aquaculture’, which means a mixture of different seaweed and shellfish species growing together to mutually benefit each other. But it’s not just a way of growing food with little human input, it also creates ocean habitat. 

“You’re creating a breeding ground for marine animals,” explains Beyers who adds that the site has seen more gannets diving, porpoises and seals – to name a few – since before the farm was established.

Ocean farms like Câr-y-Môr, notes Ross Brown – environmental research fellow at the University of Exeter – have substantial conservation benefits.

“Setting up a seaweed farm creates an exclusion zone so fishermen can’t trawl it,” explains Brown, who has been conducting experiments on the impacts of seaweed and shellfish farms across the UK. 

Brown believes a thriving ocean farming industry could provide solutions to the UK’s fish stock, which is in “a deeply troubling state” according to a report that found half of the key populations to be overfished. “It would create stepping stones where we have safe havens for fish and other organisms,” he adds. 

But UK regulators have adopted a cautious approach, note Brown and Beyers, making it difficult for businesses like Câr-y-Môr to obtain licenses. “It’s been a tough old slog,” says Beyers, whose aim is to change the legislation to make it easier for others to start ocean farms. 

Despite navigating uncharted territories, the business now has 14 full-time employees, and 300 community members, of which nearly 100 have invested in the community-benefit society. For member and funding manager Tracey Gilbert-Falconer, the model brings expertise but most importantly, buy-in from the tight-knit local community. 

“You need to work with the community than forcing yourself in,” she observes. 

And Câr-y-Môr is poised to double its workforce in 2024 thanks to a Defra grant of £1.1 million to promote and develop the Welsh seafood industry as part of the UK Seafood Fund Infrastructure Scheme. This will go towards building a processing hub, set to be operational in April, to produce agricultural fertiliser from seaweed. 

Full of mineral nutrients and phosphorous from the ocean, seaweed use in farming is nothing new, as Gilbert-Falconer notes: “Farmers in Pembrokeshire talk about their grandad going down to the sea and throwing [seaweed] on their farms.” 

But as the war in Ukraine has caused the price of chemical fertiliser to soar, and the sector tries to reduce its environmental impact – of which synthetic fertiliser contributes 5% of total UK emissions – farmers and government are increasingly looking to seaweed. 

The new hub will have capacity to make 65,000 litres of sustainable fertiliser annually with the potential to cover 13,000 acres of farmland. 

But to feed the processing hub, generate profit and reduce their dependency on grants, the co-op needs to increase the ocean farm size from three to 13 hectares. If they obtain licences, Beyers says they should break even in 18 months. 

For now, Beyers reflects on a “humbling” three years but revels in the potential uses of seaweed, from construction material to clothing.  

“I haven’t seen the limit yet,” he smiles."

-via Positive.News, February 19, 2024

[scampthecorgi]

Happy New Year from Scamp of yesteryears! Here are some of his past celebrations, always with plenty of snacks on the other side of the camera!

[cinnamonrollsledge]

Inspired by this

[deadlydelicious]

Everytime The Witcher appropriates the welsh language but the has the GALL to mispronounce it, the power of my rage grows

do you know how seldom Welsh gets a fucking look in?! and the you have the gall to pronounce it like its fucking English

[les-fleurrs-du-mal]

regulus black x original muggle character {enemies to lovers}

Regulus Black x original female character (muggle)

Inspired by WizardGod's 'dirty old town' on ao3 (and honestly, Pride and Prejudice)

This is an unfinished, ongoing fic! I update consistently every weekend and there are currently 27 chapters.

Read here on ao3 or wattpad (note: I have just recently posted to Wattpad and I'm slowly adding chapters. All current chapters are on ao3)

Summary:

Flora, the muggle half-sister of protective older brother Remus Lupin, is hidden away during the First Wizarding War for fear of werewolf attacks. It seems things cannot possibly get worse until Regulus Black, who has deviated from the fold of Death Eaters, also needs somewhere to hide.

Forced together by circumstance, their relationship is rocky from the start, but Flora won't be daunted by Regulus' arrogance and unpleasant airs. As they both slowly overcome their dislike of one another, mutual respect and understanding begin to grow, and their feelings start to shift from mere affection to something deeper and more profound.

"Touch me again and see what happens, you filthy muggle," he said. His voice was full of venomous, unbridled hatred, but he spoke in an even tone. It was too calm and for a moment it scared Flora.

But Flora straightened up, refusing to let herself be frightened by this boy. Because really that's all he was. Just a boy.

"Or what?" She challenged.

His surprise was obvious as she stood her ground. He blinked a few times, looking at her as he considered his next move. Flora was not very tall, or at least compared to Regulus she was not tall, as he completely towered over her; he stared fixedly at her face, enraged by the sheer audacity of this muggle girl.

"Go on," she prompted when he still didn't answer. "Or what? You don't even have a wand."

"I don't need a wand," he spat back. "I don't need it to deal with a little girl like you." He wanted to say something to terrify her, to make her back down and respect him as the superior, but he couldn't find the words. Instead, he settled for glowering at her like a shadowy spectre. This still didn't appear to have the effect he'd hoped for. Flora clearly was not afraid, or was otherwise doing a very good job of hiding it.

[ingravinoveritas]

Michael Sheen randomly crashing David Tennant’s television appearances.

[moonchild-in-blue]

Hey guys... So like. Did we know that before Thom Pike was a tour manager, he was a drummer in a band (Falling With Style) with 3/4 guys who would later become Holding Absence? Is this common knowledge, or have I stumbled upon gold?

I knew about Sam Hallett being in Blood Youth before working as a tech, and Thom working with them on tour, and I also did know Thom and the HA guys went way back*. But this I didn't know!! How cool!!

* Adamross and the rest of Glass Heart was also already working with him at this time btw. The connections are connecting.

Referring back to that recent post from @sleepanonymous, I am now wondering if George Lever also produced their stuff from before, given he has worked on both early Holding Absence and Sleep Token, and if that's how they all met 👀

(more ramblings bellow the cut, nothing interesting just me being insane. also i just think it's cool how all of these bands and people are connected. nothing more)

So. Timeline of events that I know of:

2015 - Falling With Style ends

2016 - Thom is now a Tour Guy ; Sleep Token and Holding Absence are born ; George Lever is producing for both bands

(and then there's that Carl Bown/B4MV thing somewhere around here)

2018 - Thom has been working as Tour Manager for Holding Absence and Blood Youth ; Adam and the (would-be) Glasses are part of his crew ; Sleep Token is touring with HA and Loathe (also G. Lever prod.) as an opening band ; enter Espera (🥹🥰💕😚💘🤭 this has nothing to with the post but I just like to think about them)

2019 - Thom is officially managing ST (probably 2018 too? idk about before) ; Glass Heart is born (again not entirely relevant but I stay on my GH propaganda always. Adam say thank you baby 💎🩵)

Then we have those collabs etc etc ; Sam leaves the band and becomes a Tech guy ; FTRB ; George stops producing (🥺🥲) ; enter Carl Bown ; ENTERS COOL MF VESSEL THE FOURTH (our ivy)

January 2023 - Sam Hallett joins the fold (🥹💙) ; the first singles of TMBE are released ; World Domination etc etc

[aeolianblues]

lmaooo imagine how hard the swing left and away from your party must be if two major constituencies swing from Conservative ALL. the way STRAIGHT to Plaid like this is a work of art at this point

[wiltedprayers]

harry truly is the og wife guy like only very few male characters on tv are as obsessed with their wives as he is and even then. not one matches his yearning. can't outdo the doer

[a-library-ghost]

adding to my glendower sketchbook series