Welsh Assembly protestors want it renamed Senedd
- Published
Protestors gathered on the steps of the assembly building in Cardiff Bay
About 100 people have joined a protest calling for the Welsh Assembly to be renamed Senedd.
Last month assembly members voted to replace the title with a bilingual name, calling it both Senedd Cymru and the Welsh Parliament.
The idea of the Welsh-only title Senedd was rejected, but there will be another vote next week.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the "unique" name had already "captured people's imagination".
The protest was held after more than 30 famous names - including actor Michael Sheen, singer Cerys Matthews and rugby referee Nigel Owens - signed a letter to AMs calling on them to back the name Senedd.
"We have cwtch and cariad - great [Welsh-language] words," said Mr Price, who joined the rally on the steps of the assembly building - also known as the Senedd - in Cardiff Bay.
"If you get in a taxi in Cardiff, the driver will know where the Senedd is.
"It's captured people's imagination, and like the Dáil [in Ireland] and Bundestag [in Germany], it can put us on the map internationally."
The Plaid Cymru leader said he wanted democracy in Wales to be "original", not following "bad habits" from Westminster, but "creating something unique with our own word".
Several speakers addressed the gathering organised by Welsh language campaigners
The protest was organised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society.
Chairwoman Bethan Ruth said campaigners wanted to send a clear message to politicians that they want a monolingual name.
"I think it's quite patronising to say people who don't speak Welsh don't understand what the Senedd is," she said.
"We see so many ways the language brings us together - the national anthem is in the medium of Welsh."
Assembly members will vote again on the proposal on Wednesday.
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