A row has broken out after a man distributing Welsh-language flyers in a Tregaron gift shop claimed he was called a racist.
Jason Thomas, from Carmarthen, was out promoting Gwyl Gwenlli, a new Welsh-language festival in Synod Inn, when he says he clashed with the owner of the Debonair Gift Emporium on Monday.
The shop owner – who has not been named – subsequently confirmed that she called him racist because there was no English on the flyer, but maintained she supported the Welsh language.
In a Facebook post, Mr Thomas said the row broke out after the shop owner asked to see an English version.
“She asked me if I’ve got one in English. And I said, ‘Well, the bands are Welsh, that’s their names. The poster is pretty much bilingual’.
“(The flyer) doesn’t really say anything in Welsh or English – the names of the bands, the dates and place names. Synod Inn is Welsh. Gwyl Gwenlli is Welsh. I can’t translate anything like that.”
Mr Thomas then said she called him racist after saying that she didn’t speak Welsh.
“I was quite shocked... I’ve never been called a racist in my life. And it’s something I didn’t expect to be called,” he said.
The shop owner, who has disputed Mr Thomas’ version of events, said that she has received death threats as a result.
Her Facebook page appeared to have been deleted yesterday morning.
“I’ve been told to pack up and leave… I’ve got a little shop, trying to make my own way for around 18 months now and he’s just ruined it all,” she told the Nation.Cymru website.
“I said I didn’t understand the leaflet. Usually, leaflets I display are bilingual.
“He got very angry and aggressive with me. And I said by excluding English on a poster it was racist against English [people].
“He stood in the doorway and threatened to expose me on Facebook and ruin me.
“I’m not anti-Welsh. My family are Welsh-speaking as their first language. I’m not against the language at all.”
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