Barbican chairman apologises for 'thoughtless' tweet comparing Welsh language to dyslexia

The chairman of the Barbican arts centre has apologised for a "thoughtless" joke comparing the Welsh language to dyslexia.

Dr Giles Shilson came under fire after he tweeted a picture of a train departure board in Welsh alongside the caption: “This must be what it feels like to be dyslexic...”

The head of the world-famous performing arts venue faced an immediate backlash as he was accused of mocking both Welsh speakers and dyslexic people.

Leanne Wood, the leader of pro-Welsh independence party Plaid Cymru, wrote: “As the chair of the Barbican centre in London, why would you show such ignorance, spite & lack of culture as you have displayed in this tweet?

“If it was meant to be a joke, it just isn’t funny.”

Many people agreed with her on social media, with one person tweeting: “It's insulting to Welsh speakers and those with dyslexia. Ignorance is never funny.”

Another Welsh person added: “If he’d aimed that kind of insult towards any other language it would be all over the press and he’d be labelled a racist and discriminatory of dyslexia. Why do we accept it?”

Dr Shilson hastily removed the tweet amid fierce criticism and replaced it with an apology.

“I sent a very thoughtless tweet and unintentionally upset lots of you,” he said.

“I'm so sorry - it wasn't my intention to be insulting and I should have realised that it would be. I sincerely apologise.”

The Welsh language, which is rooted in celtic, is spoken by around 20 per cent of people in Wales.

The Standard has contacted the Barbican for further comment.