Let's Talk About Anti-Gypsyism in Politics

It’s time to talk about anti-Gypsyism in politics.

Brexit and Boris can do one for a minute, as this week’s hot topic is anti-Semitism. You would think there’s an election looming, wouldn’t you? 

It is now time to include anti-Gypsyism within the conversation of racism and discrimination within politics. Not just a single party, but for all parties. Political parties have allowed Councillors and MPs to use ‘Parliamentary Privilege’ to describe Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in the most toxic of manners and there is no outrage, nobody held accountable for their comments or the harm they can do and honestly, nobody seems to care.

Below are some examples of what I mean:

A few years ago, a Councillor Alan Mellins said this in a meeting on how to speed up the eviction process for an unauthorised site:

You would have thought that this violence-inciting rhetoric would have lessened due to severe punishments by now, right?

Nah.

April 2019, Councillor Bob Murray said in an online conversation about an unauthorised encampment in his area, (WHICH IS TWENTY MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE), his input was that ‘Hitler had the right idea’ about Gypsies, Roma and Travellers and asked if anybody had “any gas canisters”. (This is currently under investigation of hacking claims) 

Paul Beresford (I won’t call him ‘Sir’, for obvious reasons), again, in April 2019 called GRT people currently travelling a ‘disease’.

I complained to the Conservative complaints department about these comments and as it was during a debate in the House of Commons, Beresford has ‘Parliamentary Privilege’ and I was informed by the investigating officer that the Code of Conduct states: 

“In no way should anything in this code interfere with an elected representative carrying out his or her duties and exercising his or her judgement in relation to his or her work…” 

…and my complaint was then flat out dismissed.

I then got this reply from Mr Speaker’s Office:

Subject to the rules of order in debate, Members may state whatever they think fit in debate, however offensive it may be to the feelings or injurious to the character, of individuals, and they are protected by this privilege from any action for libel, as well as from any other question or molestation”.

Whilst there is a ready acknowledgement that Members’ freedom of speech should be used responsibly, it is basic to that freedom that it should not be curtailed by the Speaker, unless there has been some breach of the House’s own rules.“

Shot down there too, unfortunately.

So now where do I go following my complaints, here in July, as Councillor Phillip Owen, labels GRT people as a ‘biblical plague’ during a meeting on a horse fair, which he deemed to be “imposed on the local community.” (Shout out to the Councillor who left and called the comments “disgusting”).

Now, I (like any person with morals) applaud any person who fights for equality and welcome any change in policy which supports diverse communities. The spotlight on racism and discrimination should be talked about across the board. It just frustrates me that racism within politics is only used a political weapon. It seems, much like how Brexit is all we ever talk about, anti-Semitism is currently as a tool to damage the reputation of a political party, rather than being highlighted for the life-threatening issue that is truly is.

Anyone that knows me is fully aware I’m not one to just moan about things like this. I’ve taken action on all of the above, made formal complaints, followed the protocol, yet due to ‘Parliamentary Privilege’, it seems these politicians who spotlight their views of discrimination or racism are untouchable. My local MP did submit a very powerful letter to Mr Speaker, highlighting that “were these remarks made about any other ethnic group there would quite rightly be calls for the remarks to be withdrawn”. We all know that Mr Tami MP is right! This is why we need to be highlighting ALL forms of discrimination. We should never choose to talk about one form of discrimination and racism instead of, just because the media is pushing it into our faces 24/7, but we need to highlight and speak about racism that different communities suffer across the board. Especially within politics… Love it or hate it, it impacts your life every day.

Now, according to Nolan’s ‘Principles of Public Life’, ‘accountability’ and ‘leadership’ are key to being a public figure in our community. Why then, when it comes to challenging the racist rhetoric against Travellers, Roma and Gypsies, do these principles not apply? 

It makes me laugh when I read the social media comments on articles about Travellers and Gypsies, sometimes easily reaching into the 100’s, saying that “they’re untouchable”, or “above the law”, going as far as to cull, or execute us, when actually, it seems that our elected representatives can normalise the perception that we are a disease, or that “Hitler had the right idea”. What happens next? 

People get hurt, or killed is what happens. Johnny Delaney’s murderers told the police that they killed Delaney as “he was only a Gypsy”. This mentality towards has not gone away, and is in fact, worsening and making the UK a very dangerous place to be, due to the people in power who are supposed to facilitate a better life for all of their constituents, allowing these racist views to become public, go unopposed and unpunished..

I refuse to give up my fight for equality but how do we ever hope to build communities which accept the GRT community when our decision makers can be so blatantly racist, it is widely accepted and they can’t be held to account? 

So yes, let’s celebrate the steps forward in tackling anti-Semitism but also let us not forget the discrimination that Muslims face, LGBTQI+ groups face, and let us finally introduce to the conversation anti-Gypsyism and tackle the racism and discrimination that stares us right in the face daily.

Anyways, thanks again for readying and have a good weekend!

Martin

*NEWS* Shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards

Irish Traveller, Martin Gallagher, has been shortlisted for the UK’s Largest Diversity Awards. 

Martin from Buckley, North Wales has been shortlisted for the Positive Role Model Award in Race, Religion & Faith at the National Diversity Awards 2019.

Over 28,000 people nominated this year alone and the results are finally in for the National Diversity Awards (NDA), with an astonishing 124 nominees being recognised for their various achievements nationwide.

Community organisations and role models from across the UK will head to the breathtaking Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 20th September to witness the countries 2019 winners being crowned the best of British diversity.

Amongst those being honoured are a reformed gangster, a Junior Bake Off Star and a host of campaigners and activists, all of whom work tirelessly to combat injustice and discrimination in very different ways.

Martin Gallagher shortlisted for the Positive Role Model Award said;

“When I found out I'd been shortlisted, it was such an amazing feeling! It's very rare that Travellers get a positive acknowledgement so I hope this is a sign of things to come for all those who are doing amazing things.

I actively campaign for GRT (Gypsy, Roma & Traveller) rights, whether that be challenging hate speech on social media, raising awareness of racism within politics and other institutions or meeting with decision makers to influence policy. I would love for my children to grow up in a world that is equal, where they are treated the same as others without the constant fear of discrimination."

HSBC, Direct Line Group & MI5 have recently been announced as sponsors of the pioneering awards that have paid tribute to over 700 grass root charities and diversity champions since its inception. Joining the likes of Auto Trader UK & Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure, ITV News are also listed amongst a host of companies showcasing their support to recognising diverse talent.

A spokesperson for MI5 said;

“It is MI5’s mission to keep the country safe, and it’s vital that we represent the diverse society we seek to protect. We are at our strongest when we have the richest mix of the best talent, working together in an environment that allows people to thrive. Put simply, our diverse workforce is crucial to our operational successes. We are pleased to be able to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to inclusion through our continued support for these awards. They are an important way of recognising and celebrating the good work being done across the country to promote inclusivity, diversity and provide opportunity for all.”

Designed to highlight the country's most inspirational and selfless people, the NDA's continue to gain endorsements from high profile figures such as Stephen Fry, Sir Lenny Henry CBE and Graham Norton.

Actress and comedian Sally Phillips will take centre stage on 20th September as the official host of this year’s ceremony. Reflecting on the forthcoming celebrations, Sally said; “I am delighted to be hosting the 2019 National Diversity Awards. Acknowledging and celebrating the hard work and stand out achievements of role models and community groups throughout the UK is a genuine honour for me. Having attended the Awards back in 2016, I experienced this fabulous ceremony first hand and I cannot wait to be back this year celebrating the dedication and commitment of some of the UK’s most luminous and

exceptional people.”

Previous winners include actor Warwick Davis, footballs equality and inclusion organisation Kick It Out and freedom fighter Abbey Kiwanuka.

Paul Sesay, Founder and CEO of the National Diversity Awards added “A record amount of nominations and votes were received this year, the most we have ever received. I know our judging panel had an incredibly difficult task of whittling down the nominees to create an outstanding shortlist.

“So many heartfelt testimonies really showcased how these people and organisations are having a profound impact on the lives of others, and I applaud them for their dedication to each specific cause. Congratulations to all of our shortlisted nominees, it is a privilege to recognise your bravery,resilience and courage and I am honoured to share this with the nation. I look forward to congratulating you in person in September”.

To view a full list of nominees please visit www.nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/shortlist

No, Criminals Do Not Give *ME or my Family* a Bad Name.

Words are powerful things. Some of us live by this statement, some people aren’t even aware of how powerful their words can be.  

Words can make us feel good, make us smile, make us laugh and also inspire us to do great things. However, we also know that they can hurt us, make us sad, make us cry and cause damage that can’t be undone.

There is one statement that I feel is doing something even worse than the above.

For those who don’t know much about me, I work as an advocate for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, and I’ve come across a lot of people who aren’t afraid to let me know about their racist views about us.

(Warning – I’ve typed ‘horse’ loads here, soz).

In North Wales this week, I watched on in horror as a woman from South Wales made it a personal crusade to harass and intimidate Traveller families who live in North Wales in order to find and bully a Traveller man to sell her a horse that belonged to him. There was a video that went viral that showed the animal distressed and people were concerned for its health, rightfully so. It was later updated that the RSPCA and North Wales Police were happy with the animal’s welfare and were not removing the animal from the owner. (PSA – To make it clear, if anybody mistreats an animal and the authorities take it away, I am ALL FOR IT), however, it also isn’t acceptable at all to assemble a vigilante group to racially profile people from a distinctive ethnicity, to incite them to go into a site in a mob-style and then stalk their sites with the sole purpose to TAKE A FUCKING HORSE FROM THEM.

So here is where this gets pretty nasty. The ringleader (still rallying people from her self-funded horse sanctuary in South Wales) called on as many people as she could to drive around and search for this horse, leading people on a racially-profiled witch-hunt looking for sites in the area. Her videos are getting thousands of viewers, where she gave the names and details owners, (so much for data protection laws, eh?), incorrect information leading her group to other sites. These videos had thousands of shares, so you can imagine the kinds of things that were said on social media, (all of which have been sent to the police). Throughout Friday night, fifty people who met up and ‘protested’ in a retail car park at 11pm as this is where the Travellers had been parked up, (rather than the RSPCA themselves) they dispersed and drove around until 4am looking for sites as far as Prestatyn, (about 30 minutes drive from where they started).

Whilst down there, I spoke with police and a group of young guys who usually chill in that car park with their souped-up cars, but as one of them had a van, a number of these protesters said that they were a group of Gypsies, ran up to the van to open the doors as they believed that they heard a pony in the back of it. They all then posted pictures in a social media message group of each site that they were parked up by and not one person mentioned concerns about the safety of the innocent families and children who were going about their business and had no idea what was happening in the area.

A local Traveller told me they were concerned for their families safety and worried these ‘protestors’ would be turning up at their door in the middle of the night.

Currently, members of the group have now accused my little brother of having horse just because he’s been ‘identified’ as GRT in the Flintshire area. Seriously.

Individuals tried to post in the group to challenge the racism and encourage the group to question their actions. These posts weren’t approved. Anyone that commented on posts challenging racism or their actions were removed from the group and deleted whilst comments such as “I have a gun”, “Travellers should be burnt”, they should be “hung” all remained (these are just a very small amount of the disturbing comments).

Earlier, I mentioned about one statement that is starting to make me question its real use: “This person/these people are giving all Gypsies and Travellers a bad name”

The more I think about whenever I have heard of this line being used, (aside from it being used in a negative tone, in 100% of the time… obviously), the angrier I get when I start to pick it apart and look at the hypocrisy behind it.

There are estimated 300,000 GRT people in the UK, 1,443 of that number are in prison. This leaves over 83,000 non-GRT people in prison the UK, (April 2019). To make the number even smaller, the percentage of the UK GRT community in prison (as of Oct, 2018) is 0.481%. Yet why, in 2019 are people stating that people who cause anti-social incidents give the whole community a bad name. Has this ever been said about the majority ethnicity? I mean, by the same logic, do I worry that all English people are bad because of the actions of Jimmy Saville, Harold Shipman, Gary Glitter? Do the actions of bad give anybody else a bad name, or is that just us?

I believe that statement is to justify the oppressive mentality that each person who uses that sentence has, and are happy to continue using in order to keep the GRT community oppressed. I looked at the group in question and there a many GRT people having to justify themselves because or reading that line “all Travellers”, or “bad people are giving you and your family a bad name”.

The caption above is an example of a story shared today (21/4) and it leaves me with a very angry taste in my mouth. Why should I, or any good Traveller in Cardiff be ashamed? Are good people in Wales tainted because of the disgusting things Ian Watkins did, (don’t Google it if you don’t know, it is vile). Of course not! That wouldn’t be normal. Why do people lose all common sense why talking about GRT communities? The only people who should be ashamed are the individuals and it happens by proxy, (unfortunately), their immediate family. Not some random Traveller hundreds of miles away. Do not do the stupid thing and assume we know every Traveller or Gypsy in the country and therefore are accountable for the actions of somebody that we don’t know, because we are not.

I’m asking all people to stop allowing non-GRT to throw their issues with people that we don’t know onto us. Challenge those people who tell you that somebody, 300 miles away, that you don’t know is giving you a bad name. They are wrong and we have to end that mentality. The only person who should have a bad name, is the individual in question. Nobody else. I mean, I’m pretty sure nobody from Cambridgeshire has a bad name because of Oliver Cromwell… do they?

Words are a very powerful thing, we need to use ours to be even regarded as humans to non-GRT people, not that I care for what people think, I care for the safety of GRT people in the future.

#GypsyLivesMatter