Welsh First Minister addresses Aberystwyth march for independence

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WELSH First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has addressed a rally during the March for Independence in Aberystwyth as supporters gathered from across Wales.

Saturday’s march, organised by YesCymru and AUOBCymru, was the first held in Aberystwyth and the first in mid Wales.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “Quite simply, we believe in our potential as an independent nation.

“We are on a journey, and there’s no turning back. The next step must be equality with Scotland as a minimum.

“We are standing up for Wales, pursuing the investment and greater powers we need from Westminster now, so we can make a real difference to people’s lives as the next step in our constitutional journey.

“Today, under one banner, we celebrate the ever-growing belief in our potential, and the ever-growing determination to build a new, more prosperous, fairer and more confident Wales.”

His appearance comes during a significant few weeks in Wales’s constitutional debate.

Last week, the Senedd backed the principle that the people of Wales should determine Wales’s constitutional future.

Earlier this month, the leaders of Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Fein signed the Cardiff Memorandum affirming the right of Wales, Scotland and Ireland to determine their own futures.

YesCymru chair Rob Hughes said the march was “about bringing people together from every part of Wales who believe that the future of our country should ultimately be decided by the people who live here.”

“Having the First Minister address the March for Independence is an important moment, but this movement has always been about far more than any one politician or political party,” he said.

“Change has to be built from the ground up, in communities across Wales.”