The language campaigner Toni Schiavone will appear in court in Aberystwyth, Wales for the fourth time on Monday 13 May over his refusal to pay an English-only parking charge notice, after the parking company One Parking Solution won an appeal to reintroduce the case in January.
This is despite the judge, Gareth Humphreys, warning that the company should carefully consider the value of continuing with a case that has already been “long, beyond unfortunate” and has cost the parking company over £10,000 in legal fees to date.
The law is an ass
Cymdeithas yr Iaith have called on the court to rule that English-only parking charge notices are insufficient as ruled by the judge Mervyn Jones-Evans in a recent case in Caernarfon, and on the Welsh Government to legislate to ensure the rights of Welsh speakers in the private sector are respected.
Toni Schiavone received the English-only notice for not paying for parking in a car park in Llangrannog in September 2020.
The original case was thrown out of court in May 2022 because a representative from the parking company was not present, and the second case in August 2023 was also thrown out because the case was presented late and under incorrect rules.
On 26 January this year, One Parking Solution won an appeal enabling them to continue prosecuting Mr Schiavone, after the judge ruled that there were no grounds to throw the first two cases out of court.
Speaking at the hearing in January, Toni Schiavone said he had received a letter with costs of £10,156.70 a the day before from One Parking Solution, and that the company had acted “disrespectfully, unreasonably and vindictively.” According to research by Cymdeithas yr Iaith, translating the notice into Welsh would have cost only £60.
Parking charge preposterousness
Siân Howys, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Welsh Language Rights Group said:
It is disappointing that One Parking Solution have decided to resubmit this case, but the real reason Toni must appear in court yet again is because the rights of people who live in Wales to use the Welsh language are not ensured in statute. We have seen other cases of this recently as HSBC and the energy company OVO have weakened or even abolished their Welsh-medium services, without any serious response from our Government.
We call on our members and supporters to be present on 13 May to support Toni, and to demand that the right to use the Welsh language in all aspects of life is respected through legislation.
On 30 January, the Welsh Government voted against Heledd Fychan MS’s motion on behalf of Plaid Cymru in the Senedd to set Welsh Language Standards on a statutory basis for institutions in the private sector, such as banks, supermarkets and private car parks.
During the debate, Siân Gwenllian MS referred to Toni Schiavone’s case as an example of the need to legislate to ensure the rights of Welsh speakers. Discussing the parking company, she said:
Once again, the response is arrogant and insulting.
Why must Welsh speakers continue to campaign and demand services through the medium of Welsh?
It is high time that the basic rights of Welsh speakers were respected through statute, and that in all aspects of life.
Welsh language version
Bydd yr ymgyrchydd iaith Toni Schiavone yn ymddangos gerbron llys yn Aberystwyth am y pedwerydd tro ar ddydd Llun, 13 Mai am iddo wrthod talu rhybudd parcio uniaith Saesneg, wedi i’r cwmni parcio One Parking Solution ennill apêl i ailgyflwyno’r achos fis Ionawr.
Mae hyn er gwaethaf rhybudd y barnwr, Gareth Humphreys, y dylai’r cwmni ystyried yn ofalus gwerth parhau gydag achos sydd eisoes wedi bod yn “hir, anffodus tu hwnt” ac sydd wedi costio dros £10,000 mewn ffioedd cyfreithiol i’r cwmni parcio hyd yma.
Mae’r gyfraith yn asyn
Mae Cymdeithas yr Iaith wedi galw ar y llys i ddyfarnu nad yw rhybuddion parcio uniaith Saesneg yn ddigonol fel gwaeth y barnwr Mervyn Jones-Evans mewn achos diweddar yng Nghaernarfon, ac ar Llywodraeth Cymru i ddeddfu i sicrhau bod hawliau siaradwyr y Gymraeg yn y sector breifat yn cael eu parchu.
Derbyniodd Toni Schiavone yr hysbysiad cosb parcio uniaith Saesneg am beidio talu mewn maes parcio yn Llangrannog ym Medi 2020.
Taflwyd yr achos gwreiddiol ym Mai 2022 o’r llys gan nad oedd cynrychiolydd o’r cwmni parcio yn bresennol, a’r ail yn Awst 2023 oherwydd cyflwynwyd yr achos yn hwyr ac o dan reolau anghywir.
Ar 26 Ionawr eleni, enillodd One Parking Solution apêl i barhau i erlyn Mr Schiavone, wedi i’r barnwr ddyfarnu nad oedd sail i daflu’r ddau achos cyntaf o’r llys.
Yn siarad yn y gwrandawiad fis Ionawr, dywedodd Toni Schiavone ei fod wedi derbyn llythyr gyda chostau o £10,156.70 ddiwrnod ynghynt gan One Parking Solution, a bod y cwmni wedi ymddwyn yn “amharchus, yn afresymol ac yn ddialgar.” Yn ôl gwaith ymchwil Cymdeithas yr Iaith, byddai cyfieithu’r rhybudd i’r Gymraeg wedi costio dim ond £60.
Ofergoeledd tâl parcio
Dywedodd Siân Howys, Cadeirydd Grŵp Hawl i’r Gymraeg Cymdeithas yr Iaith:
Mae’n siomedig bod One Parking Solution wedi penderfynu ailgyflwyno’r achos hon, ond y gwir reswm bod rhaid i Toni fynd o flaen llys unwaith eto yw am nad yw hawliau pobl Cymru i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg wedi’u sicrhau mewn statud. Rydym wedi gweld achosion eraill o hyn yn ddiweddar wrth i HSBC a’r cwmni egni OVO israddio neu ddiddymu eu gwasanaethau Cymraeg, heb unrhyw ymateb cadarn gan ein Llywodraeth.
Galwn ar ein haelodau a’n cefnogwyr i fod yno ar 13 Mai i gefnogi Toni, ac i fynnu bod yr hawl i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg mhob agwedd o fywyd yn cael ei barchu, a hynny trwy ddeddfwriaeth.
Ar 30 Ionawr, pleidleisiodd Llywodraeth Cymru yn erbyn cynnig Heledd Fychan ar ran Plaid Cymru yn y Senedd i osod Safonau’r Gymraeg ar sail statudol ar sefydliadau yn y sector preifat, megis banciau, archfarchnadoedd a meysydd parcio preifat.
Yn ystod y ddadl, cyfeiriodd Siân Gwenllian AS at achos Toni Schiavone fel enghraifft o angen i ddeddfu i sicrhau hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg. Yn trafod y cwmni parcio, dywedodd:
Unwaith eto, mae’r ymateb yn un trahaus a sarhaus.
Pam mae’n rhaid i siaradwyr Cymraeg barhau i ymgyrchu a mynnu cael gwasanaethau drwy’r Gymraeg?
Mae’n hen bryd i hawliau sylfaenol siaradwyr Cymraeg gael parch drwy statud, a hynny ym mhob agwedd ar fywyd.
Featured image supplied
