Burning Down the House - The Firebombing Welsh Dragons

The lush green valleys and long sandy beaches of Wales are one of the UK's most popular holiday destinations for British tourists. But her beauty conceals dark secrets from a time when Wales was with violent dragons that breathe fire does not allow the British invasion with such zeal widespread.

In 1979 began the Meibion Glyndwr (Sons of Glyndwr) its campaign of burning hut, setting fire 8 English owned holiday homes in a month, in protest against the increasing tendencyproperty in rural Wales being sold to English people as second homes. The campaign was to last for 12 years, during which over 200 English owned holiday cottages went up in smoke.

The name 'Son of Glyndwr' was derived from a 15th century Welsh rebel leader called Owain Glyndwr. He was a potent figurehead of Welsh nationalism, having risen up against the occupying English and led a divided people with an army just one-twelfth the size of England's against two kings and a dozen armies, withdraw British forces from the border with Wales. He is a Welsh hero and legend, and it is no wonder that his actions are still an inspiration to Welsh centuries later.

But what exactly was it that these wild Welsh dragons were not contradictory? There are many positive arguments for tourism, not least the fact that it brings in much needed money to areas that were the economically stressed.

Well, Meibion Glyndwr, and several other nationalist groups, it did not look.They were violently what they see as a growing trend of wealthy English "newcomers" buy rural properties as second homes in their beloved country against Wales Heart, and saw this as a threat to the language of Wales, identity and culture. The English as a cultural threat to have been perhaps a little far-fetched, but there was little doubt about the economic consequences of the British shopping spree, house prices have been forced over the means of many locals, leading to strong resentment that theyno longer afford to live in the communities of their birth, in some of the most popular coastal towns and villages, almost 50% of the houses were owned by English.

In addition to the arson attacks on English owned holiday cottages, English owned businesses are affected in Wales and England, and placed incendiary devices in Conservative party offices in London and in Liverpool Local real estate agent, Sutton Coldfield and Haverfordwest. However, in 12 years of the campaign,there were no deaths; the only injury was a woman who suffered minor burns to her hands after opening a letter bomb.

Thankfully, Meibion Glyndwr are no longer active, having subsided at the start of the 1990s, and for the last 17 years tourism in Wales has prospered, boosting the economy in many regions where few other sources of income exists.

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