Roma protest ban on traditional fair in U.K.

07 November 2001

Some 100 Roma with dozens of horses took possession of Horsmonden village centre in Kent on September 9, 2001, in protest against a ban on their traditional fair, despite the presence of riot police, according to information available from the non-governmental organisation Ustiben. On August 31, 2000, the British government agreed to ban "any trespassory assembly within five miles of the village of Horsmonden in Kent." The order was allegedly intended to prevent the annual traditional Horsmonden Horse Fair from taking place. The Romani fair on Horsmonden village green has taken place every year for centuries. This year's fair was scheduled for September 7-11, according to the U.K. daily The Guardian of September 7, 2001. Last year, an exclusion zone was enforced by 1,000 police with the aid of vehicles and helicopters to prevent Roma from assembling to trade horses. This year's protest was organised by the non-governmental organisation Gypsy Council. Charles Smith, chairman of the Gypsy Council reportedly stated, "We shall continue to come back each year. Our traditional rights must be maintained." For background information on the situation in Horsmonden, see the ERRC Internet website at: Traditional British Romani horse fair threatened.

(Guardian, Ustiben)