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Bulkington Fields travellers site violently evicted

Jo Makepeace | 01.07.2004 18:39 | Social Struggles | London | Oxford

Travellers at Bulkington Fields, Warwickshire were violently evicted by Constant And Co bailiffs on Wednesday morning.

Being kicked off land you own and live on - and having your dwellings destroyed and concrete obstructions to stop you getting vehicles onto your own land, or court injunctions to stop you going on your own land. The reason - officially because you haven’t got planning permission to live there, unofficially - because you are roma travellers and are being ethnically cleansed.
This Wednesday (June 30th) 40 bailiffs from ‘gypsy and squatter eviction specialists’ Constant & Co - with the backup of 50 riot police - arrived at 7am to evict travellers off self-owned land at Bulkington Fields, Warwichshire. After booting the six families off the land, Constant destroyed the site with JCBs.
Travellers can’t believe that Constant were used as bailiffs again because they are under investigation for arson at the violent eviction at the Meadowlands site in January this year. (see SchNEWS 439).
To support other traveller sites under threat there will be a rally at the Paynes Lane site, in Epping Essex, on August 22nd at 11AM, followed by a convoy visiting other threatened self-owned sites around Essex. After the recent local elections the BNP got three new seats in the Epping area, putting the travellers under increased pressure.

Contact: John Lee 07876664943
Grattan Puxon 01206 523 528

Jo Makepeace
e-mail: schnews@brighton.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.schnews.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 10 comments

stop ethnic cleansing

01.07.2004 20:03

Constant and Co are a very dodgy company:

it is made up largely of ex police and hired thugs who make comments like "they are just Keeping Britain tidy", when they are evicting kids and families the baliffs also threathen people with extreme violence and have no problem assaulting kids or women.

Its good that direct action heads are doing stuff in Palestine and on the other side of the world, its about time we got off our arses and helped travellers against the cops baliffs and councils.

resitance eviction

no value to society

01.07.2004 21:57

I think we should differentiate between travellers and 'free-loaders'
who are of no benefit to society. Most of these are not true travellers, don't
feel to sorry for them.. I once lived near them. They are free-loaders with
no respect for the communities that have to subsidise them.

ex neighbour of these

Ridiculous...

02.07.2004 08:07

What a ridiculous article. Are you suggesting that planning laws do not apply to, for example, the middle classes?

Paul Edwards

Racist Britain - No travellers, squatters or ravers

02.07.2004 09:41

Support travelling communities!

Its amazing how many people make such sweeping generalisations about people on the road!

Just because you don't like our way of life you say we are all scum, just like Jack Straw did, well fuck you 'Liberal' Britain - we are the pirate style comedy evil here to steal your sons and your daughters!!!!

And we will fight on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANARCHY!!!!!!!!!

steve-o

re: riduculous article comment

07.07.2004 15:04

> Are you suggesting that planning laws do not apply to, for example, the middle classes?

Are /you/ suggesting that 'for example, the middle classes' are frequently kicked out of their homes by baliffs backed up with riot cops and then have to watch their homes being demolished?!

ciderpunx

re: no value to society

07.07.2004 15:44

I don't know the details of the case but I was disturbed that "neighbour of these's" comments sounded so much like the Bavarian "Law for Combatting Gypsies, Vagabonds and Idlers" passed on July 16th, 1926. It was justified in the legislative assembly thus: "[Gypsies] are by nature opposed to all work, and find it especially difficult to tolerate any restriction of their nomadic life". ( see

http://radoc.net:8088/RADOC-20-ROOTS.htm )

The comment about them having "no benefit to society" sounded a lot like the 1937 nazi "Law Against Crime", which ordered the arrest of many Roma like this, "those who by anti-social behavior even if they have committed no crime have shown that they do not wish to fit into society." ( see

http://history1900s.about.com/library/holocaust/aa021099a.htm )

I certainly wouldn't want to imply that "neighbour" had any sympathy with the hideous viewpoints expressed by the Nazis to justify their ethnic cleansing of travelling people, but they should seriously consider the implications of posting comments which could be taken to reflect this kind of dangerous intolerance...

There is another side

14.07.2004 17:57

I am one of the "thugs" from Constant & Co. The travellers at Bulkington went to court and lost. They lost their appeal, too. Why is it they should receive special treatment? If I build an extension to my house without permission and the council tell me to remove it will a special case be made for me? Will the travellers come and protest on my behalf? I think not.
Councils will not, cannot, make exceptions on planning law. If they do then why should I not put up some appalling building and say "You let them do it, so why not me?"

Tim

the truth

24.07.2004 22:12

Tim. Explain then why 80% 0f all planning aplications are passed but 90% of all those made by romanies are refused? face it you're a bully boy for the fascist state houding innocent women and children from their homes. Even if you dont realise it.

Romanichal

Travellers in Ireland

07.08.2004 10:36

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66108&condense_comments=false#comment83405
Try this link for info on the Traveller situation in Ireland

John

get the gypos out

23.09.2004 11:34

i live in bulkington where the gypsies were kicked off an they have been nothin but trouble since they have arrived. they are just free loaders who dont want to make a decent contribution to society, they hassle you all day about jobs, they were offered houses but didnt take them as it would me they would have to pay taxes an they dont want too. they are now living in a car park in the local park, they have no right to join our community, no-one likes them, they are just think they have the right to join our community because they are travllers an it is their 'culture' but they are clearly just there as they want to make dodgy money and not have to pay taxes KEEP THEM OUT!!!!!

matty

UK Indymedia