Poster threat to language campaigner

Seimon Glyn sparked controversy in June 2001

A poster calling on people to set fire to a leading Welsh language campaigner are being investigated by North Wales Police.

The poster, bearing the slogan 'Burn Seimon Glyn' with the St George's Cross on the background, was put up on the walls of an Abersoch hotel - a few miles from Mr Glyn's home on the Lleyn Peninsula.

There is no association with the BNP. We distance ourselves from the BNP

Seimon Glyn

Mr Glyn, a Gwynedd County Councillor, sparked a long-running and controversial debate when he called English people moving into Wales as "a drain on resources" in a radio interview in January 2001.

His comments rekindled the debate of the language issue and led to a series of high profile Welsh speakers adding to calls for Welsh Assembly support for rural communities.

The report death threat follow the setting up of a new campaign by Cymuned - the Welsh language pressure group set up by Seimon Glyn in June 2001 - against "English colonisation".

Nigel Evans: Cymuned campaign is "extremist"

A spokesman for North Wales Police have described the threat complaint as 'serious'.

Mr Glyn had complained to them about the poster and three abusive phone calls made to him within the last 48 hours.

While he said he was not unduly worried, Mr Glyn added that "it wasn't a nice feeling".

He said the poster would not stop his activities with Cymuned.

During the past 18 months, Mr Glyn has received hate mail claiming to be from neo-Nazi organisation Combat 18 as well as a number of abusive phone calls.

'Cultural genocide'

On Wednesday, Mr Glyn was accused of being an extremist by a Tory Cabinet Minister.

It followed Tuesday's launch of Cymuned's "no colonisation" campaign, which claimed that colonisation is the main threat faced by Welsh-speaking communities.

Mr Glyn said these communities were facing "cultural genocide because of colonisation".

But Shadow Welsh Secretary Nigel Evans called Mr Glyn's comments were the "language of the BNP (British National Party) and the language of extremism".

Mr Glyn denied Cymuned was like the BNP, saying Mr Evans was attempting to "tar" the organisation with "the racist brush".

"There is no association with the BNP," he said, "We distance ourselves from the BNP."