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Up to 300 residents at Dale Farm, Essex, are facing forced removal from land they own in what threatens to be the largest ever eviction of Travellers in the UK.
Children
Those faced with eviction and homelessness include up to 150 children and vulnerable adults living on the country’s largest Traveller site. Travellers have been living at Dale Farm since the 1970s.
Basildon Council has issued a 28 day notice of eviction to the families on 51 plots of land at Dale Farm because they do not have planning permission – although the residents own the land and families living on another 45 plots with planning permission will remain.
Racism
The threatened Dale Farm evictions come amid a deeply worrying rise in racism against Traveller and Roma communities across Europe. Last year the French government forcibly broke up Roma camps and deported hundreds of families.
Such actions by mainstream politicians and government authorities are encouraging a climate of scapegoating and racism against Traveller and Roma communities, who are already the target of fascist organisations in many parts of Europe.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the UK Children’s Commissioner and the All Party Parliamentary Party for Gypsy Roma Travellers have all expressed serious concerns over the threatened mass eviction at Dale Farm.
Sign petition
UAF is urging supporters to sign the petition to stop the Dale Farm evictions and to say no to scapegoating and racism against the Traveller community.
The petition has been set up by the Irish Travellers Movement in Britain. See the ITMB website for more information about Dale Farm.
Tags: East of England, Essex
Monday, 25 April 2011
Unite Against Fascism | Support the Dale Farm Traveller community: stop the evictions
via uaf.org.uk
