Dale Farm evictions criticised by United Nations

UN urges Basildon council to find peaceful solution to dispute with Irish Travellers on unauthorised Essex site The United Nations has expressed deep regret at the determination of a local authority to proceed with the eviction of 86 families from the Dale Farm Traveller site in Essex. Residents insisted on Friday they have not been infiltrated by anarchists, and appealed for a peaceful solution to the largest single eviction of people from their homes in the UK for decades. Church groups have offered to mediate between the Irish Travellers living on the unauthorised site in Essex and Basildon council, which is determined to remove 86 families forcibly from the green belt site over the next few weeks. The UN statement criticised the “insistence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland authorities to proceed with the eviction of Gypsy and Traveller families at Dale Farm in Essex before identifying and providing culturally appropriate accommodation”. Its statement said the UN committee [on the elimination of racial discrimination] called for the suspension of “the planned eviction which would disproportionately affect the lives of the Gypsy and Traveller families, particularly women, children and older people, and create hardship, until culturally appropriate accommodation is identified and provided”. It said the committee also called for “a peaceful and appropriate solution which fully respects the rights of the families involved. Travellers and Gypsies already face considerable discrimination and hostility in wider society and the committee is deeply concerned that this could be worsened by actions taken by authorities in the current situation and by some media reporting on the issues.” The Basildon Forum of Faiths, a multifaith group which includes conflict resolution experts who have negotiated with Israelis and Palestinians, has volunteered to broker talks that could delay the forced eviction until suitable alternative accommodation is found for the families. The Rev Paul Trathen, chair of the group, said: “We haven’t got a prescription or a sticking plaster that is ready prepared but I am someone who believes in last possibilities.” Trathen said the group was offering to bring together residents of Dale Farm, the settled community and the council in a neutral place where each side could be properly heard. But Basildon council is determined to continue with the £18m eviction process against the 400-strong unauthorised encampment, which was set up on a former scrapyard without planning permission 10 years ago. The high court this week ruled that the lengthy legal battle over the site had properly considered the human rights of Dale Farm residents and the eviction was lawful. Basildon council has promised there will be no dawn raids and says a clear timetable for the eviction will be issued to Travellers in the coming days. Police sources have warned that activists joining “Camp Constant” at the site could include known anarchists. But Dale Farm campaigners said they had not seen any anarchist flags or badges at the camp. So far, activists from Sweden, Germany and Belgium have joined the camp, erecting scaffolding and barricades and training Travellers in techniques of non-violent resistance. Grattan Puxon, a veteran Gypsy campaigner, said: “I haven’t seen any anarchists join as yet. There are some sensible students and graduates from Cambridge. All the people I’ve met are decent people who want to protect the camp.” Resident Kathleen McCarthy said: “These supporters are welcome here and we remain determined to stay. We will resist the bailiffs and build barricades but none of us have weapons or anything like that. Anybody who is welcomed on this site will resist in a peaceful way.” Puxon dismissed media reports that activists were planning to use some of the 100 Traveller children living on the site as “human shields” against their forcible eviction. “It is the other way round. We have a human shield to protect the children,” said Puxon. “That’s what the adult residents and supporters are doing – protecting the children from the trauma of seeing their homes broken up.” The eviction is being subsidised by the coalition government with a communities department grant of £1.2m for Basildon council and up to £4.65m for the Essex police Operation Cabinet from the Home Office. Dale Farm Roma, Gypsies and Travellers Patrick Barkham guardian.co.uk

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