25K Rage Against Bridge That's to Be Named for Prince Charles

Thousands have signed saying they want someone who's 'accomplished something'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2018 4:00 PM CDT
Updated Apr 9, 2018 5:03 AM CDT
25,000 Rage Against Bridge Named for Prince Charles
Prince Charles, left and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, center, arrive with Aboriginal Elder Ted Williams during the opening ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, Wednesday, April 4, 2018.   (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Thousands in the UK are railing against an announcement that a major bridge will be named after the likely future king. The Telegraph reports that some 25,000 have signed an online petition demanding that a bridge that connects England and Wales not be renamed for Prince Charles. Per the paper, people even took to the streets to demand the bridge instead be named after "someone who has achieved something for our nation." The AP reports the opposition is comprised both of Welsh nationalists and anti-monarchists who demonstrated in Cardiff and elsewhere against what many called a "unilateral decision" by the government that came with no warning.

The government announced Thursday that the Second Severn Crossing is to be rebranded the Prince of Wales Bridge. Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said the change was a fitting tribute to the heir to the throne for his "decades of continued, dedicated service to our nation." But the news annoyed some in Wales, who said they weren't consulted. Leanne Wood, leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru, tweeted: "Is this a late April fool joke?" Graham Smith of anti-monarchy group Republic accused the government of making "a unilateral decision that will irritate people in England and Wales for years to come."
(More Prince Charles stories.)

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