To date, Breton civil society is backing the 69 year old Mr Baron, as well as the political parties the UDB and the Parti Breton. The hunger strike has received widespread media attention.

The reasons for the protest include : lack of information about bilingual teaching to parents, lack of cooperation with Dihun by church authorites, lack of teacher training, and threatened school closures. Furthermore, Dihun point out that church policy is going against the will of the Breton people who strongly support a large increase in Breton language education.

Speaking to the press the Mr Baron said : "After months of warning about Catholic teaching, I realize that the re-entry figures for 2006 will signal a disaster ; schools which close with pupils who will have to give up their bilingualism, no follow-up between primary education and college. The teaching of Breton has to have its place in Catholic schools. I will stop only if true discussions are opened on this problem. There must imperatively be, like in other years, at least eight openings of new sites for the 2006 school re-entry in Brittany "

The Dihun schools teach bilingually using a similar method to the public sponsored Div Yezh. In addition, there are the Diwan schools which are Breton-medium with French being introduced early on.

Added together there 10, 397 children receiving bilingual education but this comprises only around 2% of the total of those attending school in Brittany. French state hostility and lack of provision, despite parental demand, are seen as being among the chief factors holding up an education led regeneration for Breton. (Eurolang 2006)

Dihun http://www.dihun.com/

Ofis ar Brezhoneg http://www.ofis-bzh.org/index.php