The Welsh Parliament declined a poem written by the country's national poet for the opening ceremony because it contained a reference to Gaza. Hanan Issa was invited to give a poetic reading in Cardiff on Thursday, but on Wednesday it became known that his poem had been rejected due to excessive politicization.
The poet, who has Welsh-Iraqi heritage, did not participate in the ceremony where King Charles and Queen Camilla opened the Senedd (Welsh Parliament). Issa's poem, which he intended to present, was titled 'To Grow' and combined English and Welsh languages. It contained lines: 'Caretakers watch for lurking wolves, they wait for a gate left open, to plant their weapons here, yn fy ngwlad. See their gazes drift to cursed seeds scything at Gazan children. Weed them out!'
Issa published a copy of the Senedd's brief on Instagram, which required a poem praising the elected politicians 'and their achievements as a result of election, serving as a reminder of their commitment to the people of Wales.' On Wednesday, the poet stated on Instagram: 'I was asked to write and perform a piece at the Senedd opening tomorrow.'
The national poet explained his position: 'Given the many pressing issues affecting people's lives in Wales today, I felt it would be disrespectful to write about rivers or sparrows overhead... I wrote about Wales as a garden, and legislators as gardeners.'
The poem was rejected on the grounds that the opening of the country's legislative body should be an 'apolitical event.' Furthermore, the work included mentions of 'the cessation of transgender healthcare' and 'tangled thickets of fascism.'