Swinney apology to Gypsy Travellers ‘significant milestone', campaigner says
A campaigner has lauded the First Minister's apology over the 'cultural genocide' of Gypsy Travellers in Scotland as a 'significant milestone' for her community.
Roseanna McPhee welcomed the apology, which she said was the result of years of campaigning.
John Swinney made the formal apology at Holyrood on Thursday over 'unfair and unjust policies' that caused 'trauma' in what was known as the 'tinker experiment'.
Between 1940 and 1980, the so-called experiment – supported by councils and the UK Government – attempted to strip away the nomadic lifestyle of Gypsy Travellers, providing rudimentary and often cramped huts for people to live in.
A report published by the Scottish Government stated that 'the context within which the TE (tinker experiment) occurred is best understood as cultural genocide'.
Ms McPhee, whose family was among those settled in Pitlochry on the former Bobbin Mill site, had grown up in a prefabricated Second World War-style Nissen hut which had no electricity and used candles for light.
She welcomed the First Minister's apology, but said more needed to be done to stop the discrimination that her community continues to face.
First Minister @JohnSwinney has apologised in @ScotParl for historical policies affecting Gypsy/Traveller communities, acknowledging they were unacceptable and caused enduring harm.
More information here: https://t.co/hG5NqF1Br8 pic.twitter.com/B84NTjpmPn
— Scot Gov Fairer (@ScotGovFairer) June 25, 2025
She told the PA news agency: 'It's a milestone that we have reached in our long, long campaign, with no resources and just two or three generals and few food soldiers, really, because most people want to hide.
'I think the fact we managed to achieve that apology from the Government is a significant milestone.
'We're hopeful that discussions shall move forward, and perhaps something may be done about the general level of racism which we suffer, particularly in relation to public bodies.'
Ms McPhee said the apology could have been 'more robust' and expressed disappointment that Mr Swinney did not label the Tinker Experiment as 'cultural genocide', the description used in the report published by the Government.
'Cultural genocide is a crime against humanity,' she said. 'They did not name the offence. They did not say they took full responsibility of the offence.
'However, it's a positive step on the road towards the discussion around restitution and just satisfaction.'
Asked if she believed the Scottish Government should offer redress to affected families, she said: 'I absolutely believe it.
'If you'd been kept in degrading conditions as long as I have, with 16 health conditions and prevented from working with a joint-honours degrees and two post-graduates I think you might see some reason to have redress too.'
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