Not racist, come hither.

[Drabarni]

Now I have your attention.
If you think you aren't racist please look at this and if you feel like gettig behind this
Thank you very much.

www.travellerstimes.org.uk/news/2019/10/politicians-pledge-their-support-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-communities

www.gypsy-traveller.org/pledge-card-asking-your-mp-to-sign-up/

Obviously, you don't have to make an appointment with your MP as suggested, you could email or post.

[potatoeseverywherepot]

Romany Gypsy Travellers are the last minority groups where it's acceptable to be racist.



Sincerely, a mixed race british woman.

[TheQueef]

Change travellers to black and try some of these replies out before posting ffs.

[Pinkyyy]

You've made a very important distinction there @cantfindname and I wish more people would realise that.

[ToPlanZ]

Plus it's completely erroneous to state they are the only group suffering overt racism, that's claptrap. Look at the issues with the England football team playing abroad recently. Look at the very clear upsurge in xenophobia in the USA. There's a huge amount of work to be done combating actual racism around the world. If the travelling community want more acceptance into mainstream society, asking people to contact their MPs is only one way to go about it and probably not an effective one at that.

More integration and cultural cross over would be far better. I am more than willing to be convinced there some perfectly lovely travelling folk who can live happily alongside the rest of society in a mutually beneficial way whilst everyone pursues their lifestyle of choice.

To date however I have seem nothing of the sort and in fact quite the opposite, I think there are far far more effective starting points than this.

[ExhaustedGrinch]

I've yet to meet one who behaves within the law and with any regard to other human beings, their property or their community if they themselves were not travellers.

You probably have and just don't know it, unsurprisingly many don't walk around with big signs declaring they are Romany.

I have Romany ancestry and many of my family are still travelling today. It's mind boggling how people pretend they don't see/know about racism towards travellers, especially when you don't have to look very far to find it!

[Wolfiefan]

I can’t understand the people who say “all the travellers I’ve met are ...”
How is it not prejudiced and unacceptable to judge an entire community based on the actions of a few individuals?

[donquixotedelamancha]

They choose to live as they do
they always have plenty of money for new caravans
They dump their old caravans in lay-bys
They treat animals, especially horses with horrendous cruelty
If they want better treatment they need to be better behaved.

The moment you think a whole group behave one way your critical thinking skills have failed. It's no different to generalisations about all Scousers or all Muslims.

[saltandvinegararethebest]

@Drabarni

I've signed up, Drabarni. Not 100& sure about the second organisation's agenda (set up originally for new travellers?) but the pledge idea is a good one.

Think the prejudice is shocking towards those peoples. Look at the history they have had and how they were treated in ww2.

[donquixotedelamancha]

I've been refused entry to places countless times based on being a traveller and have been explicitly told that there were no other ethnicities that weren't allowed in.

I got the impression that you thought they could do that. I'm pretty sure it's unlawful.

Don't despair, I think the bigoted fools are making your point for you.

[hidinginthenightgarden]

My reservations about travellers is that they occupy spaces illegally and leave behind alot of mess.
A group decided to occupy the local college carpark for a few days a while back. The children caused chaos useing the carpark as a playground.
I have had many other dealings with travellers too. Sold things to some lovely travellers. Very polite and friendly. On a small scale this appears to be the norm. In large groups my experiences have been very negative.
I don't jusge individuals but I do have reservations of groups or travellers based on my experiences. If that makes me racsist then I accept that. I don't have these experiences of any other minority though, hence I don't express negative views about them.

[shreddednips]

There's a huge difference though between taking action to protect property and actively using cruel, derogatory language and denying a whole group opportunities just on the basis of who they are as pinkyyy describes. It's one thing to react to prevent antisocial behaviour if it's actually occurring, but to assume that people are going to act in a certain way (for example, by refusing them entry to a soft play for no other reason than them being travellers) ought to be illegal if it isn't already, in my opinion.

[TacoLover]

In what way. Romany Gypsy Travellers are the last minority groups where it's acceptable to be racist.

Ahahahahahaha.

thinks back to when I was spat at on the very crowded tube and called 'terrorist scum' because I am Bangladeshi and no one said anything

[sheshootssheimplores]

How do the soft play know you’re a traveller?

[ThatMuppetShow]

I've been refused entry to places countless times based on being a traveller

Unless it's tattooed on your forehead, people wouldn't even be able to know you are a traveller...

[saltandvinegararethebest]

@pinkyyy you support Irish travellers too, though Pinky? Or are you distinguishing yourself from them in this OP? Am unsure

[YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet]

Hello - we're going to move this over to our petitions board now.

[TheQueef]

Move it? It needs a prune first.
Travellers often have a distinctive accent for those who don't believe anyone could know.

[rwalker]

I don't think it's gypsies .roma or travellers people object to
I think it's
thieving
damage
fly tipping
lack of respect
builders scamming people
uninsured cars
intimidation
ruining local football pitches
that people don't like

[MsPotterPepper]

But the vast majority of people behaving in those ways are not Travellers rwalker.

[steff13]

But I've been refused entry to places countless times based on being a traveller

How do people know you're travelers?

[LuckySeventhWave]

My husband is phenomenally racist towards what he terms ‘pikeys’. I hate it and argue their case for them.

He’s a tradesman himself and he’s said every service he supplied to gypsies they have always disappeared without paying, so he doesn’t provide that service anymore if he believes they’re gypsies.

My local Facebook is horrendously racist about them. Every house burglary, flytip and child molestation is down to them apparently. People will actually go out and photograph a newly arrived encampment and ‘warn’ locals that ‘pikeys are on your doorstep, lock up your children’ kind of thing.

I occasionally see gypsies around, Mums and their kids, kids are immaculately dressed the babies and toddlers especially just look beautiful in their traditional 50s style clothes (no different to how Kate and Willy dress their kids), or more likely in designer togs. Looks chavvy but you can bet they’re expensive and the real thing, not knock-offs.

They’re always extravert, confident, loud and inquisitive, protective of their younger siblings, cheeky but polite.

If you’ve ever seen the inside of a gypsy van their homes are so clean you can eat dinner off the floor.

None of this stuff warrants such prejudice.

I have just started a new job I retail and already I hear over the security intercom things like, ‘watch out for a bunch of adults and kids, they look like gypsies....’ it makes me really sad.

I’d love to be able to knock on their van door and say please can you invite us in, myself and husband and our kids, so I can convince him that gypsies are perfectly normal people. When they’re camped out in a local park I keep wondering about this, but I don’t want to intrude.

[Passthecherrycoke]

I think it’s odd so many of you can’t identify travellers by sight. It’s usually fairly easy. I think you’re trying to minimise the person postings experiences


“If they want better treatment they need to be better behaved.”


Marginalised, poorly treated groups often behave badly though don’t they? They’re disenfranchised and don’t belong.

[saltandvinegararethebest]

@rwalker but don't the responses on here show you that the anti social/criminal behaviour you have listed is being attributed automatically to travellers when in fact, we know it exists across all social strata.

I also think our progress in society in combatting racism can be measured by the people who speak out in defence of those who experience racism but don't suffer from it themselves. In the way homophobia is now looked on by most people as wrong. How vocal they are is a good determinant in measuring how much change has occurred. i can't think of many people who have spoken up in defence of travellers who are not from a traveller heritage themselves.

[NaviSprite]

Ah then I’m in a bit of a bubble regarding this issue, I hope I didn’t cause offence but it is quite disturbing to read that the majority of travellers face such awful generalisations of character.

We have a small group of travellers living nearby and they’ve never caused any issues, they, like most other people, just go about their daily lives and get on with things, hence my quite naive view on this topic.

Just wanted to come back and say this as I honestly didn’t want to cause any offence 😊

[steff13]

I think it’s odd so many of you can’t identify travellers by sight. It’s usually fairly easy. I think you’re trying to minimise the person postings experiences

I live in Ohio. I've never (to my knowledge) seen a traveler. How might one identify a traveler by sight?