Members of the Pantycelyn group of Cymdeithas yr Iaith gathered outside Aberystwyth Starbucks on Friday (April 29) calling on the company to respect the Welsh language.
The action followed an allegation by star soprano Gwawr Edwards that she overheard a member of Starbucks staff told a customer to ‘Speak English or get out’.
The company now denies the incident happened at all.
Manon Elin, chair of Cymdeithas’ language rights group who is also a member of the Pantycelyn group said: “It strikes us as odd that someone, with a high public profile, would tweet about something like this if there is no truth to it.
“But the fact remains that the company, like every other company, should ensure that all staff are aware of the importance of offering a service in Welsh, and that the Welsh language has official status.
“It is the staff’s responsibility to learn Welsh to serve customers, not expect customers to use English. As there was an allegation that an individual’s freedom to speak Welsh was interfered with, which is illegal, we have asked the Welsh Language Commissioner to investigate.”
Councillor Mark Strong who joined the group at Starbucks on Friday told the Herald that they got a far from friendly reaction when they asked politely, in Welsh, to speak to the manager.
Elfed Jones, Chair of the Pantycelyn group of Cymdeithas yr Iaith said: “Cymdeithas has sent a letter to the company’s national HQ about the situation but we felt that something should be done locally too. We encourage everyone to go to local cafes.
“But given that not everyone will want to do so, all staff at Starbucks should have language awareness training, and be provided with Welsh lessons.”
