From Inside Housing
A pensioner uprooted from the Dale Farm Travellers’ site two years ago is back in court.
Mary Flynn, 73, and Nora Sheridan were evicted from the Dale Farm Estate in October 2011 - following a protracted legal battle with Basildon District Council.
She and a group of other Travellers later moved their caravans onto an access road in Oak Lane, Basildon.
Oak Lane is an authorised site with permission for 34 pitches, but Mrs Flynn and the others were hit with an enforcement notice for camping on the access road.
Around eight caravans are currently believed to be illegally pitched on the site.
The residents association submitted an appeal against the enforcement notice wanting more time to comply, that is until Basildon meets its obligations and somewhere else is available for them to move to
But the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) said there was no right to appeal
Mrs Flynn & Ms Sheridan launched a judicial review of this decision arguing that the refusal to hold a hearing on the preliminary issue of whether or not they could appeal, was unlawful
At the heart of the case is whether those on the access road have an interest in the land and were relevant occupiers for the purposes of the right to appeal.
The case reached London’s High Court on Tuesday
The case was adjourned by Mr Justice Foskett until an unscheduled date before Christmas to provide more court time.
Jonathan Moffett, for Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, opposed the adjournment, noting that Mrs Flynn had first lodged her case a year ago.
‘It is a matter of concern that, the more time drags by, the more, by default, the claimants are succeeding in what they’re looking for,’ he told the judge.
Speaking outside court, the Claimants barrister Mr Cottle said: ‘An awful lot of money has been spent evicting these people from Dale Farm, but some have moved just down the road because there are no other pitches available.’
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Swansea Council leader: "We have a moral and legal obligation to build second Traveller site"
From the South Wales Evening Post
THE leader of Swansea Council has made it clear that a second Travellers' site will be build in the county.
In his column in today's Evening Post, David Phillips says the authority has a moral and legal obligation to build more provision for Gypsy and Travellers families.
The long-running saga over where a second site should be build took an unexpected turn this week when a meeting of the full council rejected a proposal that planning permission be sought for two possible locations — one at the former dog track in Fforestfach and one on land off Peniel Green Road in Llansamlet.
Instead councillors passed a motion calling on the council's cabinet to "adopt a whole Swansea approach and consider all land options" within the county.
The cabinet will meet next month to consider its response.
In today's column, Mr Phillips says that finding a suitable second site "was always going to be difficult" but that it had to be done.
He says: "My message to anyone who thinks this means there will be no second permanent Gypsy Traveller site is this — we have a legal and moral obligation to provide one and we shall."
The search for a second site to meet growing demand from Traveller families began in March 2010.
More than 1,000 plots of council-owned land were looked at during the search, with a shortlist of five drawn up — the former Leo's site in Penderry, Parc Melin Mynach and next to the Toyoda factory in Gorseinon, and Fforestfach and Llansamlet.
This list was then whittled down to the final two, which council officers said were the most suitable.
Proposing the alternative motion in the council chamber on Monday night, Morriston ward member Robert Francis Davies said the search should include privately-owned land as well — and suggested that the council could allocate cash from selling off some of its plots to pay for the purchase of any suitable site.
Several councillors — and representatives from the five short-listed sites who spoke at the meeting — questioned the process which had led to the five possible sites on the original shortlist being identified.
The idea of extending the current Travellers site — on Pant-y-Blawd Road on Swansea Enterprise Zone — was also raised during Monday's meeting, but the councillors were told the riverside site was in a flood zone and that any proposed development there would likely be objected to by Natural Resources Wales.
THE leader of Swansea Council has made it clear that a second Travellers' site will be build in the county.
In his column in today's Evening Post, David Phillips says the authority has a moral and legal obligation to build more provision for Gypsy and Travellers families.
The long-running saga over where a second site should be build took an unexpected turn this week when a meeting of the full council rejected a proposal that planning permission be sought for two possible locations — one at the former dog track in Fforestfach and one on land off Peniel Green Road in Llansamlet.
Instead councillors passed a motion calling on the council's cabinet to "adopt a whole Swansea approach and consider all land options" within the county.
The cabinet will meet next month to consider its response.
In today's column, Mr Phillips says that finding a suitable second site "was always going to be difficult" but that it had to be done.
He says: "My message to anyone who thinks this means there will be no second permanent Gypsy Traveller site is this — we have a legal and moral obligation to provide one and we shall."
The search for a second site to meet growing demand from Traveller families began in March 2010.
More than 1,000 plots of council-owned land were looked at during the search, with a shortlist of five drawn up — the former Leo's site in Penderry, Parc Melin Mynach and next to the Toyoda factory in Gorseinon, and Fforestfach and Llansamlet.
This list was then whittled down to the final two, which council officers said were the most suitable.
Proposing the alternative motion in the council chamber on Monday night, Morriston ward member Robert Francis Davies said the search should include privately-owned land as well — and suggested that the council could allocate cash from selling off some of its plots to pay for the purchase of any suitable site.
Several councillors — and representatives from the five short-listed sites who spoke at the meeting — questioned the process which had led to the five possible sites on the original shortlist being identified.
The idea of extending the current Travellers site — on Pant-y-Blawd Road on Swansea Enterprise Zone — was also raised during Monday's meeting, but the councillors were told the riverside site was in a flood zone and that any proposed development there would likely be objected to by Natural Resources Wales.
Council takes action to evict Travellers from car park in Bury St Edmunds - Suffolk
From the Bury Free Press
Council bosses were due to take action to once again evict Travellers from a Bury St Edmunds town centre car park this morning.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council was to serve a section 77 order this morning on the Travellers who have moved onto the long stay area of St Andrews Street car park.
It requires them to move by 10am on Monday. The Travellers, which have been moving around Bury, were previously forced off of Ram Meadow.
Borough and County Councillor David Nettleton said he had asked the council if it would issue parking tickets and excess charge notices on the non caravan vehicles, which have occupied the parking spaces as part of the encampment but was told this would ‘legitimise’ their presence.
see also: The Ipswich Star - Bury St Edmunds: Council issues Travellers with notice to leave St Andrew’s Street car park
Council bosses were due to take action to once again evict Travellers from a Bury St Edmunds town centre car park this morning.
St Edmundsbury Borough Council was to serve a section 77 order this morning on the Travellers who have moved onto the long stay area of St Andrews Street car park.
It requires them to move by 10am on Monday. The Travellers, which have been moving around Bury, were previously forced off of Ram Meadow.
Borough and County Councillor David Nettleton said he had asked the council if it would issue parking tickets and excess charge notices on the non caravan vehicles, which have occupied the parking spaces as part of the encampment but was told this would ‘legitimise’ their presence.
see also: The Ipswich Star - Bury St Edmunds: Council issues Travellers with notice to leave St Andrew’s Street car park
French Travellers camp at Cheltenham Arle Court Park and Ride - Gloucestershire
From the Gloucestershire Echo
French Travellers have set up a temporary camp at Arle Court Park and Ride just off the A40 on the edge of Cheltenham.
At least 13 caravans and several cars, all with foreign licence plates are parked in a loose scattering at the southern end of the car park overlooked by the B&Q store.
The ad hoc campsite is taking up dozens of parking spaces used by commuters travelling to work in Cheltenham.
One of the Travellers, Giovanni Demestre said that the Travellers were all from the Paris area and had been in Birmingham for holiday. He added that they were returning to Paris but intended to stay in Cheltenham for a week.
Three middle-aged men, smartly dressed in blazers and shirts and ties said they had also been in Wales. One, who declined to give his name, said: “There are no gypsy people here. We are all French.”
Reaction from commuters using the park and ride was mixed.
One, Diane Jenkins, from Tuffley said: “It does bother me. Is my car going to be safe? I’ve never had any worries parking here, but I don’t know what ‘ll happen now they are here.”
Another car park user, from Evesham, who did not want to give his name said: “It’s not the first time , it’s happened at least 3 times since I’ve been using the park and ride in about a year-and –a-half, There’s never been a problem. I didn’t realise they were there to start with.”
Waiting for the bus into Cheltenham was Julie Cooke, who lives in Churchdown. She expressed some sympathy for the travelling families, but felt they should stay somewhere more appropriate.
She said: “I’ve a motor home myself , it would be lovely to be able to park anywhere but it’s not allowed.
“We travel to France, it’s so much more easy going over there, so they may not know we don’t do it here. I understand that there’s a shortage of places for these people which is shame, but I don’t think they should be doing this here.
“We have to pay, and they’d have to pay on a campsite, are they going to be charged?”
see also:
25/10/13 - The Gloucestershire Echo - French Travellers enjoying mini break at Cheltenham park and ride
French Travellers have set up a temporary camp at Arle Court Park and Ride just off the A40 on the edge of Cheltenham.
At least 13 caravans and several cars, all with foreign licence plates are parked in a loose scattering at the southern end of the car park overlooked by the B&Q store.
The ad hoc campsite is taking up dozens of parking spaces used by commuters travelling to work in Cheltenham.
One of the Travellers, Giovanni Demestre said that the Travellers were all from the Paris area and had been in Birmingham for holiday. He added that they were returning to Paris but intended to stay in Cheltenham for a week.
Three middle-aged men, smartly dressed in blazers and shirts and ties said they had also been in Wales. One, who declined to give his name, said: “There are no gypsy people here. We are all French.”
Reaction from commuters using the park and ride was mixed.
One, Diane Jenkins, from Tuffley said: “It does bother me. Is my car going to be safe? I’ve never had any worries parking here, but I don’t know what ‘ll happen now they are here.”
Another car park user, from Evesham, who did not want to give his name said: “It’s not the first time , it’s happened at least 3 times since I’ve been using the park and ride in about a year-and –a-half, There’s never been a problem. I didn’t realise they were there to start with.”
Waiting for the bus into Cheltenham was Julie Cooke, who lives in Churchdown. She expressed some sympathy for the travelling families, but felt they should stay somewhere more appropriate.
She said: “I’ve a motor home myself , it would be lovely to be able to park anywhere but it’s not allowed.
“We travel to France, it’s so much more easy going over there, so they may not know we don’t do it here. I understand that there’s a shortage of places for these people which is shame, but I don’t think they should be doing this here.
“We have to pay, and they’d have to pay on a campsite, are they going to be charged?”
see also:
25/10/13 - The Gloucestershire Echo - French Travellers enjoying mini break at Cheltenham park and ride
Osbaldwick Travellers' Site Plans Decided Tonight - Yorkshire
From Minster FM
Plans to expand the Osbaldwick Travellers' site will be decided tonight.
But MP Julian Sturdy says the city council aren't running the site properly and questions if the expansion is needed.
The York Outer MP gave the reasons he's opposed to adding the six extra caravan pitches.
Mike Slater, assistant director of City and Environmental Services, at City of York Council, said:
“Planning legislation dictates that applications of this scale and character are normally determined by the local planning authority, in this case the council, regardless of whether the local planning authority is the applicant i.e. a new school.
"An exception would be where the Secretary of State has directed that they wish to determine the application, instead of the local planning authority. Normally only applications for large developments of regional or national significance are called in.
"At this moment in time the Secretary of State has not called in the Osbaldwick application. It should be borne in mind that the proposal is of a small scale (six additional caravan pitches with amenity buildings) and of purely local significance.”
Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainability, Coun. Dave Merrett said:
“It is absolutely astounding that a Member of Parliament would so cynically support the call for a public inquiry for six extra Traveller pitches at the Osbaldwick site.
“Julian Sturdy and his Government say that Councils should be taking decisions affecting local people locally, and that Councils should be avoiding unnecessary expenditure. He then supports the call for an expensive public inquiry when he knows there’s next to no likelihood of one happening. This is because his Government has largely stopped calling in anything other than regionally or nationally significant planning applications.
“He should respect the independent and local planning process and make any representations he wishes to when this application is considered by a cross-party committee of councillors”.
Plans to expand the Osbaldwick Travellers' site will be decided tonight.
But MP Julian Sturdy says the city council aren't running the site properly and questions if the expansion is needed.
The York Outer MP gave the reasons he's opposed to adding the six extra caravan pitches.
Mike Slater, assistant director of City and Environmental Services, at City of York Council, said:
“Planning legislation dictates that applications of this scale and character are normally determined by the local planning authority, in this case the council, regardless of whether the local planning authority is the applicant i.e. a new school.
"An exception would be where the Secretary of State has directed that they wish to determine the application, instead of the local planning authority. Normally only applications for large developments of regional or national significance are called in.
"At this moment in time the Secretary of State has not called in the Osbaldwick application. It should be borne in mind that the proposal is of a small scale (six additional caravan pitches with amenity buildings) and of purely local significance.”
Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainability, Coun. Dave Merrett said:
“It is absolutely astounding that a Member of Parliament would so cynically support the call for a public inquiry for six extra Traveller pitches at the Osbaldwick site.
“Julian Sturdy and his Government say that Councils should be taking decisions affecting local people locally, and that Councils should be avoiding unnecessary expenditure. He then supports the call for an expensive public inquiry when he knows there’s next to no likelihood of one happening. This is because his Government has largely stopped calling in anything other than regionally or nationally significant planning applications.
“He should respect the independent and local planning process and make any representations he wishes to when this application is considered by a cross-party committee of councillors”.
Horse dies after cart hits car - Essex
From the Echo
TWO men ran off and left a horse to die in the road after their cart ploughed into a parked car.
Witnesses looked on in distress, and shock, as a vet battled to save the mortally-wounded mare following the horrific crash.
The two Travellers were riding their horse and trap through the streets of Wickford when the horror unfolded.
They lost control of the cart as they were riding through Moreland Road, and the horse ploughed head-first into a parked black Ford Focus.
The horse – a bay mare – suffered devastating injuries. But shockingly eye witnesses told how the pair riding the trap just unhooked it from the injured horse and fled the scene.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It was clear the horse was horrifically injured.
“I arrived after the accident happened, but I know some people were saying the two blokes just separated the cart from the horse and did a runner.”
Police, the RSPCA and a vet were called to the scene following the crash which happened at 1.25pm on Sunday.
The vet battled to save the horse, but it died.
Police later arrested two men in connection with the incident, but are still appealing for witnesses.
An Essex Police spokesman said: “Officers were called following reports a horse had collided with a parked car.
“The horse, a brown bay mare, was found to have serious injuries and died at the scene about an hour later, despite attempts by a vet to save her.
“Two men left the scene before police arrived and a black Ford Focus was badly damaged.”
PC Lisa Thompson, one of the officers called to the accident, added: “The bay mare had been well looked after, but she suffered terrible injuries when she ran into the parked car.
“The vet tried for an hour to save her, but in vain.”
The incident is the latest crash in the area involving a horse.
Last month the Echo told how a 30-year-old man from Wickford was charged with allowing animals to stray on the highway after loose horses were rounded up by police on the A132 Nevendon Road in Wickford.
And, also last month, a horse which escaped from the Traveller site in Hovefields Avenue, Wickford, was killed when it ran into the path of a car on the Southendbound carriageway of the A127 on Saturday, September 14.
A 52-year-old woman had to be cut free from her vehicle.
Following the latest incident police arrested two men – a 28- year-old from Billericay and a 26- year-old from Wickford – on suspicion of failing to stop at the scene of a collision and causing criminal damage.
The pair have been bailed until December 10.
Witnesses to the crash can call PC Thompson at the Laindon road policing unit on 101.
TWO men ran off and left a horse to die in the road after their cart ploughed into a parked car.
Witnesses looked on in distress, and shock, as a vet battled to save the mortally-wounded mare following the horrific crash.
The two Travellers were riding their horse and trap through the streets of Wickford when the horror unfolded.
They lost control of the cart as they were riding through Moreland Road, and the horse ploughed head-first into a parked black Ford Focus.
The horse – a bay mare – suffered devastating injuries. But shockingly eye witnesses told how the pair riding the trap just unhooked it from the injured horse and fled the scene.
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “It was clear the horse was horrifically injured.
“I arrived after the accident happened, but I know some people were saying the two blokes just separated the cart from the horse and did a runner.”
Police, the RSPCA and a vet were called to the scene following the crash which happened at 1.25pm on Sunday.
The vet battled to save the horse, but it died.
Police later arrested two men in connection with the incident, but are still appealing for witnesses.
An Essex Police spokesman said: “Officers were called following reports a horse had collided with a parked car.
“The horse, a brown bay mare, was found to have serious injuries and died at the scene about an hour later, despite attempts by a vet to save her.
“Two men left the scene before police arrived and a black Ford Focus was badly damaged.”
PC Lisa Thompson, one of the officers called to the accident, added: “The bay mare had been well looked after, but she suffered terrible injuries when she ran into the parked car.
“The vet tried for an hour to save her, but in vain.”
The incident is the latest crash in the area involving a horse.
Last month the Echo told how a 30-year-old man from Wickford was charged with allowing animals to stray on the highway after loose horses were rounded up by police on the A132 Nevendon Road in Wickford.
And, also last month, a horse which escaped from the Traveller site in Hovefields Avenue, Wickford, was killed when it ran into the path of a car on the Southendbound carriageway of the A127 on Saturday, September 14.
A 52-year-old woman had to be cut free from her vehicle.
Following the latest incident police arrested two men – a 28- year-old from Billericay and a 26- year-old from Wickford – on suspicion of failing to stop at the scene of a collision and causing criminal damage.
The pair have been bailed until December 10.
Witnesses to the crash can call PC Thompson at the Laindon road policing unit on 101.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Third man charged over murder at Leeds Travellers’ commune - Yorkshire
From the Yorkshire Evening Post
A third man has been charged with murdering a man at a Travellers’ commune on the outskirts of Leeds.
Sidney Cox, 57, suffered multiple injuries during the attack at Thorpe House Farm, on Middleton Lane in the village of Thorpe near Rothwell, on the evening of August 24.
Thirty-nine year-old Ambrose Dear Senior, of Stocksbridge Lane in Doncaster, who was charged and remanded in September charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm has now been produced from prison and charged with murder and is due to appear before Leeds magistrates on Thursday.
Two other men from Doncaster – 24-year-old John Edwards Nicholson, of Little Lane, and 39-year-old Michael Valance Dear, of Norton Common Road, Askern – have already been charged with murder and are awaiting trial.
A third man has been charged with murdering a man at a Travellers’ commune on the outskirts of Leeds.
Sidney Cox, 57, suffered multiple injuries during the attack at Thorpe House Farm, on Middleton Lane in the village of Thorpe near Rothwell, on the evening of August 24.
Thirty-nine year-old Ambrose Dear Senior, of Stocksbridge Lane in Doncaster, who was charged and remanded in September charged with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm has now been produced from prison and charged with murder and is due to appear before Leeds magistrates on Thursday.
Two other men from Doncaster – 24-year-old John Edwards Nicholson, of Little Lane, and 39-year-old Michael Valance Dear, of Norton Common Road, Askern – have already been charged with murder and are awaiting trial.
Council secures injunction extension in Travellers' site dispute in Holyport - Berkshire
From the Royal Borough Observer
THE Royal Borough has won an extension to an injunction preventing caravans from parking up at a site in Holyport.
The council was granted the extension covering Green Belt land off Forest Green Road by the High Court on Thursday, October 3, and it will remain in force until a trial or further order.
The land was the subject of a refused planning application for a Travellers’ site in June.
The injunction, an extension to one obtained on Tuesday, August 20, means anyone who attempts to enter the site to station caravans or carry out development without planning permission couls face a prison sentence if the Royal Borough applies to the High Court for a breach of the terms of the injunction.
Councillor Michael John Saunders, cabinet member for planning and property, said: “We will continue to ensure the land remains agricultural until such time as planning permission is granted for any other use. The owners are of course free to use their land within the confines of the permitted use.”
An appeal to the decision to refuse planning permission remains under consideration.
THE Royal Borough has won an extension to an injunction preventing caravans from parking up at a site in Holyport.
The council was granted the extension covering Green Belt land off Forest Green Road by the High Court on Thursday, October 3, and it will remain in force until a trial or further order.
The land was the subject of a refused planning application for a Travellers’ site in June.
The injunction, an extension to one obtained on Tuesday, August 20, means anyone who attempts to enter the site to station caravans or carry out development without planning permission couls face a prison sentence if the Royal Borough applies to the High Court for a breach of the terms of the injunction.
Councillor Michael John Saunders, cabinet member for planning and property, said: “We will continue to ensure the land remains agricultural until such time as planning permission is granted for any other use. The owners are of course free to use their land within the confines of the permitted use.”
An appeal to the decision to refuse planning permission remains under consideration.
Probe call over Roma child removals - Ireland
From the independent.ie
Calls have been made for an independent inquiry into why two Roma children were "abducted" from their families by Irish authorities.
A human rights group claimed both cases bore all the hallmarks of racial profiling and warned gardai and health chiefs to examine the facts before assuming a child with fair features does not belong to a Roma couple.
A seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old were separately taken in to care by authorities in the last two days amid concerns over their appearance and documentation.
The toddler has since been reunited with his family in Athlone in the midlands, while officials await the results of DNA tests on the Dublin schoolgirl and her parents.
Martin Collins of Pavee Point, which works on behalf of Irish Travellers and the Roma community, claimed the pair were "literally abducted from their families".
"We are extremely concerned and worried about these developments," he said.
"We hope it is not the beginning of some sort of pattern where children of Roma parents who are not dark skinned and have brown eyes are taken away one after the other for DNA test after DNA test.
"It's outrageous. It's quite despicable.
"We are calling for an independent transparent inquiry in to the events that led to these children being taken in to care."
Mr Collins said while gardai must react to all reports of child protection allegations, their reaction must be evidence based, proportionate and given due process.
He fears there is hysteria after the case of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl named Maria was found in Greece, whose DNA did not match the Roma couple who initially claimed to be her parents. Both face abduction charges.
In Dublin, a blonde haired, blue eyed schoolgirl has spent two nights in State care when gardai were not convinced by documents that she was the biological daughter of the family she lived with. She is expected to be returned tonight.
And a toddler taken from his parents in Athlone last night was returned by authorities this morning after inquiries.
Both children were removed from their family homes under section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991, which states a Garda must have reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child.
Mr Collins said that was not the case in either case.
"They were both cared for, had adequate shelter, clothing and food. They were well loved," he continued.
see also independent.ie - We are just glad to have our son back’
journal.ie - Child removed, then returned to Roma family in Athlone
Calls have been made for an independent inquiry into why two Roma children were "abducted" from their families by Irish authorities.
A human rights group claimed both cases bore all the hallmarks of racial profiling and warned gardai and health chiefs to examine the facts before assuming a child with fair features does not belong to a Roma couple.
A seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old were separately taken in to care by authorities in the last two days amid concerns over their appearance and documentation.
The toddler has since been reunited with his family in Athlone in the midlands, while officials await the results of DNA tests on the Dublin schoolgirl and her parents.
Martin Collins of Pavee Point, which works on behalf of Irish Travellers and the Roma community, claimed the pair were "literally abducted from their families".
"We are extremely concerned and worried about these developments," he said.
"We hope it is not the beginning of some sort of pattern where children of Roma parents who are not dark skinned and have brown eyes are taken away one after the other for DNA test after DNA test.
"It's outrageous. It's quite despicable.
"We are calling for an independent transparent inquiry in to the events that led to these children being taken in to care."
Mr Collins said while gardai must react to all reports of child protection allegations, their reaction must be evidence based, proportionate and given due process.
He fears there is hysteria after the case of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl named Maria was found in Greece, whose DNA did not match the Roma couple who initially claimed to be her parents. Both face abduction charges.
In Dublin, a blonde haired, blue eyed schoolgirl has spent two nights in State care when gardai were not convinced by documents that she was the biological daughter of the family she lived with. She is expected to be returned tonight.
And a toddler taken from his parents in Athlone last night was returned by authorities this morning after inquiries.
Both children were removed from their family homes under section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991, which states a Garda must have reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child.
Mr Collins said that was not the case in either case.
"They were both cared for, had adequate shelter, clothing and food. They were well loved," he continued.
see also independent.ie - We are just glad to have our son back’
journal.ie - Child removed, then returned to Roma family in Athlone
Concern over ‘witch hunt’ against Roma - Ireland
From the Irish Times
Traveller support group Pavee Point has expressed concern about the danger of “witch hunts” and racism against vulnerable members of the Roma community on foot of widespread publicity over a child protection case.
Their statement came after gardaí took a child from a Roma family into HSE care after members of the public reported their suspicions she had been living as a member of the family but was not a blood relative .
“Actions by the State need to be evidence-based and due process needs to be accorded to all communities living in Ireland,” Pavee Point said in a statement.
“There is a real danger that precipitative action, undertaken on the basis of appearance, can create the conditions for an increase in racism and discrimination against the Roma community living here.”
A Pavee Point spokesman said that while there were many child protection issues for Roma families, many of these were “largely due to laws which impede their access to work and social welfare”, which deny them access to State supports and forcing Roma families to live in poverty.
The European Roma Rights Centre also raised concerns that reporting of such cases could strengthen prejudices.
“The risk here is that prejudices will be reinforced against Roma, for example that Roma is stealing babies or that Roma are involved in trafficking and that this is part of the culture, which is not true,”Dezideriu Gergely of the European Roma Rights Centre told RTÉ Radio today.
Research had found that trafficking does not have anything to do with ethnicity but with “ poverty and low levels of income and education and and other features which are common for any impoverished group” he said.
“The expectation now is from authorities presumably that they could go into any Roma community and search for any child which is of light skin which also is very subjective,” Mr Gergely said.
The Dublin Roma family has insisted the child is “100 per cent” theirs.
Gabby Muntean is a support worker and member of the Roma community who has been in regular contact with the parents. “They are very upset. They have told me the child is 100 per cent theirs and have offered blood tests and DNA tests to prove this,” she said.
“Now, they just want their daughter back. It hard to see any reason why his happened, other than the reports from Greece... there are plenty of blonde-haired, blue-eyed children who members of the Roma community.”
Ms Muntean said the family has been based in Ireland for more than seven years and that the parents insisted the child was born in a Dublin maternity hospital.
Traveller support group Pavee Point has expressed concern about the danger of “witch hunts” and racism against vulnerable members of the Roma community on foot of widespread publicity over a child protection case.
Their statement came after gardaí took a child from a Roma family into HSE care after members of the public reported their suspicions she had been living as a member of the family but was not a blood relative .
“Actions by the State need to be evidence-based and due process needs to be accorded to all communities living in Ireland,” Pavee Point said in a statement.
“There is a real danger that precipitative action, undertaken on the basis of appearance, can create the conditions for an increase in racism and discrimination against the Roma community living here.”
A Pavee Point spokesman said that while there were many child protection issues for Roma families, many of these were “largely due to laws which impede their access to work and social welfare”, which deny them access to State supports and forcing Roma families to live in poverty.
The European Roma Rights Centre also raised concerns that reporting of such cases could strengthen prejudices.
“The risk here is that prejudices will be reinforced against Roma, for example that Roma is stealing babies or that Roma are involved in trafficking and that this is part of the culture, which is not true,”Dezideriu Gergely of the European Roma Rights Centre told RTÉ Radio today.
Research had found that trafficking does not have anything to do with ethnicity but with “ poverty and low levels of income and education and and other features which are common for any impoverished group” he said.
“The expectation now is from authorities presumably that they could go into any Roma community and search for any child which is of light skin which also is very subjective,” Mr Gergely said.
The Dublin Roma family has insisted the child is “100 per cent” theirs.
Gabby Muntean is a support worker and member of the Roma community who has been in regular contact with the parents. “They are very upset. They have told me the child is 100 per cent theirs and have offered blood tests and DNA tests to prove this,” she said.
“Now, they just want their daughter back. It hard to see any reason why his happened, other than the reports from Greece... there are plenty of blonde-haired, blue-eyed children who members of the Roma community.”
Ms Muntean said the family has been based in Ireland for more than seven years and that the parents insisted the child was born in a Dublin maternity hospital.
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