The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently making its way through parliament attacks the very existence of Britain’s last nomadic communities, namely Romany Gypsies (like me), Irish Travellers and Scottish Travellers.
Over the years, Conservative government policies have shut down sites and accommodation for Gypsies and Travellers nationwide, leading to a massive shortage. Now, this new bill intends to criminalise us when, because of this shortage, we inevitably can’t find a formal site and have to stop on another patch of land. We’ll face fines of thousands of pounds, three-month prison sentences and seizure of our goods, including vehicles. Which means our trailers – our homes. In short, the bill makes our very way of life a criminal offence.
While these measures seem draconian enough, the worst thing about the bill is the circumstances such punishments will create. If both parents are sentenced to prison, for example, or lose their home, what happens to the children? In a country that has a long history of callous forced adoptions when it comes to communities like ours, it seems inevitable that the state will see this as an opportunity to forcibly assimilate our children through the care system.
As well as specifically punishing our way of life, the bill increases police powers across the board. We already experience high levels of police brutality and fear that this legislation will only embolden racist police violence against our community.
