So my quiet town had a visit from our traveller 'friends' this week and

[AndThatsWhatIThinkOfYou]

They wonder why people are so against them setting up camp where ever they please.

They arrived last Wednesday on a football field with a park and caused a whole load of trouble, for example, going to the petrol station handing over euros, being told they won't accept euros as payment, they simple got in their vans and drove of.

Made a visit to our local Sainsburys got caught shoplifting, were locked in until police were called.

Local children playing on park got beaten up with sticks by the traveller children.

And to top it all of 3 vans pulling up outside a local pub, very busy, dropping their trousers and all three disgusting men casually took a shit one by one on the pub doorstep. Got in there vans and drove of.

Then left the football field and park in an absolute mess. Rubbish everywhere.

Each incident police were called but nothing has been done.

So AIBU to wonder why travellers think this behavior is acceptable? and why can't anything be done to stop it?

Riiight. So pointing out racism is 'jumping on the bandwagon'?

Yep, pretty much.

I know travellers are a race but how can 'new age' travellers be a race? Just because my cousin lives a nomadic lifestyle he hasn't changed race just culture.

FranSanDisco if you have negative opinions of all Irish Travellers based on your experience of some, that is prejudice and bigotry pure and simple.

al0uise I can't go into detail as it will out me but a family member has been made to beg - on his knees - for his dog's life on a traveller's site. He is a police officer, it was his police dog.

Fucking disgraceful.

In one way I like threads like this though, they show me who the arseholes are.

Hope I don't live near you, dingit. Your attitude is repellant.

I don't think that New Age travellers are recognised in the same way as Irish Travellers or Romany people. I may be wrong though.

Skyler white. That's just it. It's just her opinion, she's entitled to one just like you!

Likewise skylerwhite

The difference is that if she voiced that opinion outside an anonymous forum, she would be risking prosecution for Incitement to Racial Hatred.

But she's not, just as I wouldn't. It's just a discussion, calm down dear.

I"ve heard far stronger opinions at council planning meetings.

"All the people banging on about being racist are just jumping on the band wagon."

firstly, there seems to be traveller bashing bandwaggon too as far as I can see.

look should any anti social element cause a disruption in my community I would be mightily displeased I am sure

my fucking issue is starting a racist thread, knowing full well that people will come and agree as for some reason its OK to bash this group

I once started a thread that was seen as racist, and I was battered. and with hindsight, I should have never posted it. I am no angel.
I have even been accused of being racist by someone on this thread! on another thread obvs

and still.....and this thread is wrong, wrong, wrong on many levels

I live just outside Blackpool
what happens there most wekends is disgusting
at least the travellers will move on
we have to put up with drunken yobs when we just wat to pop to the shops
why do people think it is acceptable to walk around the middle of a town wearing hadly any clothes, drunk as a skunk, carrying a massive inflatible cock and swearing like a trooper on a saturday afternoon
would they want their town to be like that?
antisocail behaviour is wrong whoever is responsible for it
and people need calling on it

FranSanDisco - new age "travellers" aren't counted (and are rarely systematically oppressed and in need of consideration as a vulnerable group). Travellers as a legal definition typically includes Showmen, Pavee (Irish Travellers), Yeniche, Quinqui, Scottish Travellers, as well as Romani groups such as Romany, Rroma, Sinti, Lom, Dom and so on. Romani groups particularly as many come or are descended from refugees (their mass enslavement in Eastern Europe, then obviously the Holocaust which took 90% of them, now with politically backed violence in Hungary and Italy and the walling off of Romani communities in Slovakia). They're are very different ethnic groups, and obviously groups within groups - most Pavee aren't like those on the Channel 4 shoes - but they're all bunched up as Travellers which is why threads like this that try to dehumanize them wholesale are so disturbing.

I prefer to think of it as unacceptable and disruptive behaviour bashing.

I prefer to think of it as unacceptable and disruptive behaviour bashing

Call it that then.

If it is the behavior that is being bashed then why mention ethnicity?

Ethnicity doesn't 'cause' behavior does it?...except you obviously think it does which makes you racist.

If you don't like a thread, hide it. I've only taken an interest in this one, as for the first time in 40 years, we have travellers in our village. And I shall be glad when they go! Sorry to be so brutally honest!

Animal theft, abuse, fighting, puppy farming is rife.
^^ these things are of course awful, but not restricted to traveller communities only, and also, not evident in all traveller communities

which is why the sweeping generalisations on here are so wrong.

can people really not see that?

we are not deluded do-gooders who are unable to think badly of people, we just think it is WRONG to judge a whole group of people based on SOME experiences. Even saying "all the traveller sites I have seen have been troublesome in several ways" is not the same as extrapolating to " therefore all travellers are a bad lot". Yes, state your personal experience but do not infer that the same applies to all travellers!

crime is crime
violence is violence
drunkenness is drunkenness
truancy is truancy
abuse is abuse and neglect is neglect

all of these are serious issues
REGARDLESS OF WHO IS DOING IT

I didn't name the thread and i couldn't give a damn about the ethnic background of the people who commit these crimes but the fact remains they are defended by whole swathes of people who are solely employed to "look after" these people who happen to be Travellers.

Astonishing (and deeply depressing) that some people really don't mind admitting that they are prejudiced and bigoted.

starlightloz thank you very much for that book recommendation, I have ordered it and look forward keenly to reading it. I found your post really interesting and insightful.

OP noone is ignoring or denying the fact that with some travellers there have been problems, but you cannot justifiably move from talking about the actions of some INDIVIDUALS to making sweeping statements about people as a GROUP. Until people stop doing that there is no room IMO for real and meaningful discussion here about how we could improve relations between the 2 communities or deal with problems better.