Travellers Face Forced Eviction and Protests against their Sites in UK
29 July 2004
On June 7, 2004, The Guardian reported that residents of the village of Cottenham in Cambridgeshire have threatened to erect a "Gypsy camp" outside Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's home and launch a website against him after he warned they faced imprisonment for failure to pay council taxes in protest against a growing nearby site for Travellers. In March 2004, around one thousand villagers threatened to stop paying council taxes if growth of the nearby Smithy Fen site was not stopped. On May 6, the BBC reported that as a result of the protests, the South Cambridgeshire District Council sought a court injunction, which on the evening of May 5 was issued, banning the placement of addition caravans at Smithy Fen. Villagers reportedly protested the growth of the site, which has been in existence for around 40 years. Mr Terry Brownbill, a spokesperson for local residents, was quoted as having stated that they hoped the camp would be limited to twenty sites, which house four families each. Villagers expressed frustration that decisions of the local council refusing permission are overturned on appeal by higher authorities. Eighteen Travellers reportedly appealed refusals of permission to live on the site by the local council, claiming violations of their human rights. Ms Emma Nuttall of the Traveller organisation Friends Families and Travellers stated that the action of the Cottenham villagers was indicative of the level of discrimination faced by Travellers in the UK.
The protest has transformed into a nationwide campaign, with more than fifty communities expressing an interest in preventing Travellers from using human rights instruments to establish sites across the country, according to The Guardian. The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is currently conducting an internal review of the UK's accom-modation policy for Travellers. A report is expected this summer.
Earlier, on April 15, the BBC reported that the Limavady Council in Northern Ireland had commenced legal action to remove three Traveller families who had stopped with caravans on the tourist parking lot over the Easter week-end. The families reportedly refused to move after being informed that nearby caravan sites were full. Councillor Leslie Cubitt was quoted by the BBC as having remarked that Travellers should not be permitted to use the property without paying "like everyone else". He further stated, "No other caravans are allowed to park there – but they are and we can't move them. I wish they would travel – if they were Travelling people they wouldn't be parked here for five or six days." (BBC, The Guardian)
