A senior Welsh police officer has backed the Welsh Rugby Union's decision to remove the song Delilah from its Principality Stadium choirs' playlist saying "it's time to sing something else". The Chief Constable of Dyfed Powys Police, Dr Richard Lewis, spoke out after some criticism of the decision.
His force launched a major domestic abuse campaign at the end of last year encouraging victims of domestic abuse to come forward saying speaking out “could change your life.”
It was announced on Wednesday that Sir Tom Jones' 1968 hit, about a jealous lover stabbing his unfaithful partner, will now not be played at the Principality Stadium and not sung by choirs. The Six Nations begins in Cardiff on Saturday.
Read more: Delilah song lyrics, why it's a controversial song and what Sir Tom Jones has said about it all
Speaking about the reaction to the news, Dr Lewis said on Twitter: "There’s been a lot of misplaced criticism of this decision to stop singing ‘Delilah’. The song depicts the murder of a woman by a jealous partner For context, approx 2 women a week are murdered by a partner or ex-partner It’s time to sing something else."
The announcement on the song comes after a damning week which saw the WRU come in for intense criticism amid allegations of a "toxic" culture and misogyny. Warren Gatland's Wales side host Ireland and England in Cardiff this year, and travel away to Scotland, Italy and France.
Delilah was recorded by Sir Tom in 1968 and reached No. 2 in the charts before going on to become a Welsh favourite among the rugby-loving public, but its place in modern society has been debated in recent years. One line reads: “I crossed the street to her house and she opened the door; she stood there laughing, I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more.”
Last year, Welsh Women's Aid said violence against woman and girls in Wales was at "epidemic rates", and called on the UK and Welsh Governments to do more.
Chief executive Sara Kirkpatrick said: “Violence against women and girls is at epidemic rates across Wales and the wider UK. An increasing number of women cannot access refuge support due to a lack of capacity and resources. We are also witnessing rising rates of reports of sexual violence survivors facing the longest court delays on record and just 1% of rape cases ending with a conviction. This experience is exacerbated for Black, minoritised and migrant women.
"Women and girls are being failed by the system that is supposed to protect and support them."
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