Monthly Archives: May 2025

Temple of Peace / Teml Heddwch, Hawliau Dynol, Humanitarian, Rhyfel a Gwrthdaro

Wales for Peace in Gaza

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View October 2023 Feature ‘Wales for Peace in Israel & Palestine’

In May 2025, First Minister for Wales Eluned Morgan spoke out against the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with Welsh Government releasing an official statement on the humanitarian blockade in Gaza. Oxfam Cymru have critiqued the statement as “well-meaning, but… In the face of imminent famine and where humanitarian protections are systematically violated… devastatingly short of what is needed: polite appeal where moral outrage is called for.”

The First Minister stated:

“I continue to watch in horror at the situation unfolding in Gaza, and I know many of you feel the same way. The devastating images we see – families sleeping in rubble, children starving and crying out for food and water, hospitals on the verge of collapse – aren’t just snapshots of a distant crisis, they’re the daily, brutal reality for people living through unthinkable suffering, with no end in sight.

Let’s be straightforward – what’s happening is an atrocity, and it needs to end. I encourage leaders across the world to put real pressure on the Israeli government to stop the suffering of innocent Palestinians. This isn’t about politics – it’s about basic humanity.”

Responding to the First Minister’s statement, Oxfam Cymru said:

“If we do not speak, the silence will bury the truth. The people of Gaza are not dying because of crop failure, or logistics. They are being starved – deliberately – through a military blockade that contravenes international humanitarian law. Water sources have been bombed. Food convoys have been denied entry. Humanitarian workers have been killed in record numbers. This is an overt attack on the basic human rights of Palestinians in Gaza. It is not a tragedy it is a crime.”

WCIA support Oxfam and civil society organisations Wales-wide in calling for tougher action for Welsh Government to:

  • Publicly demand the immediate, unconditional reinstatement of humanitarian aid access to Gaza.
  • Advocate to UK counterparts for the suspension of arms sales and export licences to Israel, in line with the UK’s legal obligations under international humanitarian law.
  • Ensure Welsh public resources and government operations are not complicit in this crisis.

“You must do everything in your power to push for a permanent ceasefire, to allow humanitarian aid for people facing intolerable suffering. The siege of Gaza must be stopped, and water, food and fuel allowed in. We ask you to work to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza” Oxfam Ceasefire Petition

The Welsh Government have contributed £100,000 towards the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) Middle East Humanitarian Appeal in October 2024, and a further £100,000 in January 2025.

Welsh Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and community groups have been very active in pressing Senedd Members for action on Israel and Gaza through the Senedd over 2023-25, bolstered by firm advocacy from Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner calling for Peace in Palestine.

“[Wales’] voice on the global stage should not only celebrate achievements but also confront injustices. I urge the Welsh Government to reaffirm its leadership in global responsibility and peacebuilding, advocating for immediate and impactful actions to address this pressing issue.“

Quakers have become the first British church to state their belief that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza, following their annual gathering over 27 May. “Radical peacemaking requires us to engage with and to acknowledge truth in all its discomfort, complexity and cruelty. Quakers historically have spoken truth to power. We believe that genocide and mass displacement are underway in the actions of the Israeli government and its military towards the population of Gaza.”  

In a formal statement, the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) has characterised the situation in Gaza as a “genocide in real time”. The organisation cites mass starvation, targeted bombings of civilian areas, and the forced displacement of over 1.5 million people as evidence of a “systematic, targeted destruction of a people”.

A joint statement on Palestine was issued on 16 May by the governments of Ireland, Iceland, Malta and Luxembourg; and on 19 May, the UK Government alongside France and Canada issued a joint statement on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank:

“We call on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.”

On 20 May the UK Government FCDO issued a release stating that sanctions are hitting West Bank Violence Networks.

On 31st May, Israeli authorities arrested Irish citizen D. Murphy aged 70, currently living in Swansea, from Khalet Al-Daba’a, in Masafer Yatta, located in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. D had been volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement at the time of her arrest, as a witness to events taking place in the West Bank.

On 10 June, the UK Government joined Canada, Australia, New Zealand & Norway to formally sanction far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for “incitement of violence” against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Both will be banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the UK frozen.

United Nations Responses

The United Nations Relief Chief has called on the UN Security Council to act decisively to prevent genocide in Gaza:

“Every single one of the 2.1 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face the risk of famine. One in five face starvation – despite the fact that UN donors have funded the food that could save them. The few hospitals that have somehow survived bombardment are overwhelmed. The medics who have somehow survived drone and sniper attacks cannot keep up with the trauma and the spread of disease.”

The UN publishes daily updated Situation Reports @ The UN and the crisis in the Middle East: What you need to know

UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, condemned Israeli strikes that continue to kill civilians and the ongoing blockade of essential aid, which has now entered its 10th week. “Any use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of war constitutes a war crime, and so do all forms of collective punishment.”

University of Bristol has published on the international legal implications of supporting Israel, in light of the ICJ’s (International Court of Justice) provisional measures and advisory opinion (view ICJ Convention on Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Taking Action – What can I do?

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Addysg, Hawliau Dynol, Peace Heritage, Rhyfel a Gwrthdaro, Temple of Peace / Teml Heddwch, WCIA history, Womens Peace Petition Centenary

Archif y Mis: Adroddiad Pererindod Heddwch Menywod Cymru 1926, 99 mlynedd yn ôl i’r mis hwn

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99 mlynedd yn ôl i’r mis hwn, dros fis Mai – Mehefin 1926, fe wnaeth “Pererindod Heddychwyr y Menywod” gerdded o Ogledd a De Cymru ac o bob cornel o’r DU, gan uno degau o filoedd o dan faner ‘HEDD NID CLEDD’ / ‘LAW NOT WAR’

Gallwch weld yr Adroddiad llawn ar wefan Casgliad y Werin Cymru

Mae’r adroddiad hwn o Archifau Teml Heddwch ac Iechyd Undeb Cynghrair y Cenhedloedd Cymru (WLNU), sydd wedi cael ei ddigideiddio trwy Gasgliad y Werin Bobl Cymru, yn cofnodi’r ymgyrch ryfeddol hon ar draws y DU, gyda phroffil penodol wedi’i roi i Bererindod Heddwch Gogledd Cymru, a ddechreuodd o Benygroes, Sir Gaernarfon ar 27 Mai 1926:

“Oherwydd nifer, maint a brwdfrydedd ei gyfarfodydd, rhaid rhoi’r wobr i #NorthWales. Cychwynnwyd ‘llednant’ Gogledd Cymru gan grŵp bach ym Mangor, gyda swllt neu ddau, ond chwyddodd yn gyflym i faint afon, gan gynnwys dros hanner cant o drefi a phentrefi. Ar gyfer y cyfarfod cyntaf ym Mhenygroes yn Ne Sir Gaernarfon, ymdroellodd pum ffrwd o bererinion i lawr y llethrau gyda phenynnau glas a gwyn. Daeth mwy na phum mil o bobl yn y sgwâr marchnad o bentrefi agos a phell.

Cynhaliwyd cyfarfod hyfryd yn adfeilion hanesyddol hardd Castell Conwy, ac roedd y gynulleidfa yn Nhreffynnon a Bae Colwyn yn amrywio o dair i bedair mil. Fel y bo’n briodol i genedl o gantorion, canwyd emynau, yn Gymraeg a Saesneg, ar hyd y llwybr i Caer, lle daeth llwybrau Gogledd Cymru a Carlisle at ei gilydd.”

Mae nifer o heddychwyr a haneswyr wedi archwilio stori Pererindod Heddwch Gogledd Cymru – gweler y dolenni blog isod. Fodd bynnag, ychydig y gwyddir am Bererindod De Cymru, a orymdeithiodd drwy Abertawe a Chaerdydd; gallai hyn wneud hanes ‘gudd’ hyfryd i fyfyriwr neu ddarpar hanesydd cymunedol i ymchwilio iddo cyn y digwyddiad canmlwyddiant y flwyddyn nesaf yn 2026 (os byddai gennych ddiddordeb mewn ymchwilio i hyn ac mewn ysgrifennu erthygl fer am Orymdaith Heddwch De Cymru, cysylltwch â craigowen@wcia.org.uk)

Ffilm Pathe

Mae Clipiau Ffilm Pathe am Bererindod Heddwch Menywod Cymru, yn cynnwys clip o 0.47 i 1.07 o’r orymdaith yn mynd heibio Castell Caernarfon ar hyd Cae Llechi (Slate Quay), lle gosodwyd carreg goffa yn 2016 i goffáu’r digwyddiad.

Gorymdaith Ailberfformio i Ddathlu Pen-blwydd Gorymdaith Heddwch y Menywod yn 90 oed yn 2016

Ym mis Mai 2016, trefnodd grwpiau menywod Gwynedd a heddychwyr ‘Orymdaith Ailberfformio’ i ddathlu Pen-blwydd Gorymdaith Heddwch y Menywod yn 90 oed (a ariannwyd gan brosiect ‘Cymru dros Heddwch’ WCIA), trwy ddilyn y llwybr gwreiddiol o amgylch muriau Castell Caernarfon. Gosodwyd llechen goffáu i nodi’r achlysur yng Nghae Llechi, yr hen Gei Llechi, er mwyn cadw’r stori’n fyw ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol. Cafodd hyn sylw mawr gan y BBC ac mewn cyfryngau lleol eraill.

Yr Orymdaith Pen-blwydd yn 90 oed ym mis Mai 2016 yn mynd heibio Castell Caernarfon, gan ddilyn camau’r menywod y 1926 (uchod)
Yr orymdaith Pen-blwydd yn 90 oed ym mis Mai 2016 yn mynd heibio Castell Caernarfon, ac yn olrhain camau menywod 1926 (uchod). Y garreg goffa a osodwyd yng Nghae Llechi, Caernarfon ym mis Mai 2016, wrth ymyl Deiseb Heddwch Menywod Cymru 1923-24 (ar ôl i’r eitemau ddangos yn Storiel, Bangor yn ystod tymor yr Haf 2019). Gallwch eu gweld ar wefan Casgliad y Werin. 

Rhagor o wybodaeth…

‘At the Front of the March’ erthygl blog gan Jane Tooby, 2014:
https://armingallsides.org.uk/case_studies/at-the-front-of-the-march/

Erthygl blog ‘WCIA Voices’ gan wirfoddolwr Stephen Thomas, 2016:
https://wciavoices.wordpress.com/2016/06/01/north-wales-womens-peace-march-1926/

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International Exchange, Newyddion WCIA, Temple of Peace / Teml Heddwch, Volunteers

Claire O’Shea – Pennaeth Hub Cymru Africa

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Rydym yn torri calon i rannu bod ein ffrind a’n cydweithiwr, a Phennaeth Hub Cymru Africa, Claire O’Shea, wedi marw’n dawel y bore ‘ma gyda’i theulu o’i chwmpas.

Roedd Claire yn arweinydd cymdeithas sifil angerddol ac yn ymgyrchydd dros gyfiawnder cymdeithasol, ac mae ei heffaith wedi bod yn enfawr.  Cysegrodd ei bywyd i wneud y byd yn lle gwell yn y meysydd addysg ac iechyd, unigrwydd, cynhwysiant a chyfiawnder byd-eang.

Ers ymuno â Hub Cymru Africa ym 2019, daeth Claire yn arweinydd mewn undod byd-eang a datblygu rhyngwladol. Roedd hi’n eiriolwr brwd ynghylch y pwysigrwydd o helpu’r rhai mewn angen, er gwaethaf ffiniau, ac roedd hi’n angerddol dros ben am undod byd-eang, hyd yn oed wrth i’w hiechyd ei hun waethygu.

Mae pawb yn Hub Cymru Africa, ac yn y sector ehangach a thu hwnt, yn teimlo tristwch mawr am y golled, ond bydd etifeddiaeth Claire yn y maes undod byd-eang yn parhau i gael ei deimlo am flynyddoedd i ddod. Mae gennym ddyletswydd i Claire i barhau â’i gwaith, i eiriol dros newid, i fynnu cyfiawnder ac i greu byd mwy cyfartal.

“Mae teulu estynedig cyfan y ‘Deml Heddwch,’ yng Nghymru ac ar draws y byd, yn ymestyn ein meddyliau dwys i deulu Claire, ei ffrindiau a’i chydweithwyr – ac yn talu teyrnged i’w chyfraniad gwych gydol oes i ryngwladoldeb Cymreig, cymdeithas sifil a chyfiawnder cymdeithasol. Bydd hi’n seren ddisglair iawn yn y nen; ond mae ei cholled yn cael ei deimlo’n gryf. Gorffwysa mewn Pŵer Claire.”

Hayley Morgan, WCIA

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Temple of Peace, WCIA News

Temple of Peace ‘Stars’ in Richard Burton Biopic

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Wales’ Temple of Peace has projected onto the ‘silver screen’ in recent weeks, with release of the film “Mr Burton” starring Toby Jones (of ‘Mr Bates & the Post Office’), Lesley Manville and with Harry Lawtey playing the teenage Richard Jenkins of gritty, working class 1930s Port Talbot – before his meteoric rise to international stardom as Richard Burton, one of Wales and indeed the world’s most famous historic actors.

Harry Lawtey as the young Richard Burton, with the vestibule of Wales’ Temple of Peace recreating the art deco heyday of Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Image – Icon Film Distribution

Whilst the film is a worthy biopic in itself for the centenary of the actor’s birth, Temple Friends could be forgiven for feeling that many of the scenes in the latter half of the film look a little familiar. Reviewers and commentators have commended how well the production recreated the unique ‘art deco’ character of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon, where Burton first performed ‘Henry V’ in 1951 – extensively reconstructed in recent years. But this attention to detail came not from CGI reconstruction, but from using Wales’ beautiful Temple of Peace as the ‘film set’ for many of the internal scenes, totalling about 5-10 minutes in the latter half of the film’s story.

From Film Cymru Wales:

“In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, 1942, Richard Jenkins lives as a wayward schoolboy, caught between the pressures of his struggling family, a devastating war, and his own ambitions. However, a new opportunity arises when Richard’s natural talent for drama catches the attention of his teacher, Philip Burton. Taking Richard under his wing, the young man thrives under Philip’s strict tutelage and the guidance of kindly landlady, Ma Smith. However, as the acting world comes within Richard’s reach, the burden of his past risks holding him back forever.

Starring Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Lesley Manville, Aneurin Barnard and Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Mr Burton was directed by Marc Evans, written by Tom Bullough and Josh Hyams, and produced by Ed Talfan and Hannah Thomas for Severn Screen, alongside Promise Pictures’ Josh Hyams and Brookstreet Pictures’ Trevor Matthews. The film was financed by BBC Wales, Principal Film Finance, Moo Studios and Ffilm Cymru Wales awarding National Lottery funding and by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.”

Stills from Wales’ Temple of Peace:

Richard Burton’s dressing room, one of WCIA’s Temple of Peace offices (screenshot from official trailer)
Actor Harry Lawtey in the Royal Shakespeare’s hall, aka Temple of Peace Entrance Vestibule (screenshot from official trailer)

‘Shooting’ at the Temple was undertaken over a week in July 2024, during which the Hall of Nations and Vestibule were ‘dressed’ to represent different areas of Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1951: a box office, rehearsal rooms, auditorium. One of the Temple’s upstairs offices even masqueraded as Richaerd Burton’s dressing rooms / ‘green room’ for tense scenes as the actor prepared for his debut as Henry V.

One of the joys of working in the Temple is the occasional chance to see ‘behind the scenes’ of productions in progress. We rarely know what is being filmed, given commercial secrecy that surrounds productions prior to public release (otherwise everyone would know the stories before they came out). Part of the fun can be guessing what a film might end up being… But also, seeing the talents in action of dress and props departments, who produce everything from 1950s theatrical poster reproductions to fake marble walls with light fittings that exactly match the Temple’s existing materials!

Wales’ ‘Hall of Nations’ becomes the Royal Shakespeare Theatre of 1951
WCIA Education Manager Amber admires a wood prop created to represent a marble wall
… the same marble wall prop from behind!
WCIA’s entrance vestibule dressed with 1950s posters for Shakespeare productions
WCIA’s entrance vestibule as art deco Box OIffice
WCIA’s entrance vestibule as art deco Box OIffice
WCIA’s entrance vestibule dressed with 1950s posters for Shakespeare productions

‘Mr Burton’ is showing in cinemas across Wales over April and May 2025.

Why not come and see where it was filmed – and indeed, many other productions from Doctor Who to ‘His Dark Materials’? WCIA offer monthly ‘Temple Tours’ exploring the rich story behind Wales’ Temple of Peace – book via Eventbrite.

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