Editing Welsh Language Society (section)

=== 1970s and 1980s ===
[[File:Protest Cymdeithas yr Iaith, 1972.jpg|thumb|250px|Protestors dump English-only road signs at the steps of the [[Welsh Office]] in [[Cathays Park]], [[Cardiff]]. This started in 1970 and ended in 1972.]]

The society believes in [[direct action]], and in the course of its campaigns over a thousand people have appeared before the courts for their part in various campaigns, many receiving prison sentences, making it Britain's largest protest group since the [[suffragette]]s – in terms of fines and the numbers sent to prison.<ref>Dylan Phillips, <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Trwy ddulliau chwyldro..? Hanes Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg''<nowiki>'</nowiki>, Gomer, 1998, {{ISBN|1-85902-594-3}} p 257</ref><ref>Clive Betts, 'Inside the Welsh Language Society', [[Western Mail (Wales)|Western Mail]], 5/7/1977</ref>  Typical actions include painting slogans on buildings owned by businesses, and other minor criminal damage.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/1104236.stm|title=Four charged after language rally|date=6 January 2001|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/1811162.stm|title=Five arrested at language rally|date=9 February 2002|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/|title=North Wales News – Latest news, pictures, video – North Wales Live|website=www.dailypost.co.uk}}</ref>

At the beginning of the 1970s, the society began to campaign for a Welsh-language radio and television service. [[Radio Cymru]] was established in 1977, but in 1979 the [[First Thatcher ministry|Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher]] announced that it would not keep its election promise to establish a separate Welsh-language television channel. Some protesters refused to buy television licences and others climbed up television masts and invaded television studios.<ref>[http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/Iaith/TyngedIaith/index-e.htm#Broadcasting ''Tynged yr Iaith'', The Welsh Language Society, Broadcasting in Welsh, The Welsh Language Act] on [http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/index-e.htm ''Ymgyrchu''!], a website by the [[National Library of Wales]]</ref>

There was much damage to radio and television transmitters:
* [[Blaenplwyf transmitting station|Blaenplwyf transmitter]] was damaged on Monday 7 February 1977, costing £25,000, [[Dyfed–Powys Police]] arrested the leader at his home at [[Cenarth]];<ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Wednesday 9 February 1977, page 1</ref><ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Thursday 17 March 1977, page 3</ref> there was another break-in on Monday 19 November 1979, which included [[John Rowlands (author)|John Rowlands]] and [[Geraint H. Jenkins]]<ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Tuesday 20 November 1979, page 1</ref>
* [[Waltham transmitting station|Waltham]] was turned off from 10 pm on Thursday 2 November 1978; the group had broken into [[The Wrekin transmitting station|The Wrekin]] on the same night, but had turned off the wrong switch.<ref>''Leicester Mercury'' Friday 3 November 1978, page 1</ref>
* [[Midhurst transmitting station|Midhurst]] was damaged on Thursday 8 February 1979; BBC1 transmissions were restored by Friday but BBC2 took three more days;<ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Saturday 10 February 1979, page 1</ref><ref>''Western Daily Press'' Saturday 10 February 1979, page 4</ref> it caused £15,700 of damage; 23 year old Hywel Pennar, a student at [[University of Wales, Lampeter|St David's Lampeter]], was jailed for 9 months; he was the son of [[Pennar Davies]], the Principal from 1959 to 1979 of [[Swansea Theological College]]<ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Thursday 23 October 1980, page 9</ref>
* [[Sudbury transmitting station|Sudbury]] in Suffolk was damaged on Thursday 15 March 1979 with £20,000 of damage.<ref>''Liverpool Daily Post'' Friday 16 March 1979, page 1</ref>

The government reversed its position and a Welsh-language TV channel, [[S4C]], was launched in 1982.