Latest news with #GypsyTravellers
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Shops close down and streets patrolled by cops as thousands of travellers gear up for 2nd day of Appleby Horse Fair
THE historic Appleby Horse Fair has left shops and roads closed as a second day of rowdy celebrations continues. The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, joined thousands of revellers yesterday for the first day of the fair. 8 8 The celebrations have seen thousands of travellers descend on the town, riding horses through the small streets. Cops have been spotted patrolling the streets and roads have been closed to traffic. Pictures from yesterday's celebrations show horses being ridden in the River Eden as part of a longstanding tradition. Tens of thousands of travellers have arrived in the small town for the event, lining the roads nearby with cars, vans and caravans. Campsites have been set up to accommodate all the visitors, quickly filling with hundreds of caravans. The six day event features traditional music, dancing, horse riding, market stalls and horses for sale. Carts and wagons have been pulled through the town by horses as the busy event continues to unfold. anti-social behaviour at past events. 8 8 8 The roads of the small town and surrounding area have been lined with travellers arriving to join the festivities. Today, as the celebrations continued locals have shut their shops and roads are being patrolled by cops. Signs have been left on doors up and down the busy high street reading " closed" with the whole town effectively shut down. A huge police presence is in the area for the second day in a row with officers on standby ahead of potential chaos and violence. RSPCA officers and Blue Cross volunteers are also present, keeping an eye on the welfare of the horses being exercised, bought and sold. During the 2021 event seven people were arrested. Travellers and their families have been descending on the town for the fair for 340 years. The event falls on the first weekend of June and is recognised as the largest of its kind in Europe. Huge queues have formed along the busy country lanes and town life has ground to a standstill as the fair continues. 8 8 8
The Sun
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Tyson Fury among THOUSANDS of travellers at Appleby as horse fair kicks off TODAY – with locals locking down village
BOXER Tyson Fury has been spotted making his way to the historic Appleby Horse Fair as the annual event kicks off today. The Gypsy King, 36, will join tens of thousands of visitors who have flooded into the rural village of Appleby-in-Westmoorland, Cumbria, ahead of the festivities. 9 9 9 He was spotted travelling by horse-drawn cart through Knutsford, Cheshire, as he makes his way to the fair. Locals are bracing for chaos as hundreds of campervans and horse-drawn carriages descended upon their rural town for the annual event. Cumbria Police confirmed 30 people had already arrested in the general area as part of an operation ahead of the fair. The six-day event typically features traditional music, dancing, horse riding, market stalls and horse sales. Traffic in the area ground to a standstill as visitors from the gypsy, roma and travelling community lined the streets. Huge queues started forming along the roads as they waited to enter the campsites. Families and their horses normally descend from miles away to attend the 340-year-old fair. It falls on the first weekend of June and is recognised as the largest of its kind in Europe. Horsemen and women have been seen riding their horses in the nearby River Eden as part of a long-held tradition. The annual gathering dates back to 1685 and is under the protection of a charter granted by James II. 9 9 By the 1900s it had evolved into an event for Gypsies and Travellers. There remains a huge police presence in the area, with officers on standby ahead of potential chaos and violence. Narrow country lanes leading to the village have been bursting with horses and caravans in the build-up to the traveller meet-up. In 2020, the fair was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, but huge crowds have returned to the event in recent years. Seven people were arrested at the 2021 meet-up, but the chaos didn't dampen spirits for the hundreds at the historical celebration. Some locals have closed down their pubs and services in protest. Fed-up residents living in the neighbouring village of Gargrave even drew up battle plan in preparation. They have complained of a spike in crime and anti-social behaviour with human excrement found in bushes, trees hacked down and scorch marks found on the village greens. Last year, more than 60 pick-up trucks and horse-drawn caravans descended on the village, with loud generators running throughout the night. 9 9 9
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Nothing keeps them at bay..' Furious locals turn their villages into FORTRESSES as thousands of travellers descend for controversial Appleby Horse Fair with police already being forced to handcuff a 10-year-old boy
Villages are being turned into fortresses ahead of Europe's biggest gypsy gathering - but this year the chaos has already begun. Weary locals are used to the disruption and disorder that accompanies the annual Appleby Horse Fair, but are bracing themselves for trouble as, in some areas, the influx of an anticipated 10,000 travellers has started early. A special police task force has so far dealt with offences of burglary, criminal damage, racist abuse, knife crime and faced a torrent of criticism after finding it necessary to handcuff a 10-year-old boy. The surge in crime around quaint Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria is causing anxiety amongst locals because the fair isn't even due to start until Thursday June 5th. So far local sporting venue, Kirkby Lonsdale Cricket club has seen its pavilion smashed up, as no windows remain in the wooden structure. Residents of the historic town have also been threatened and intimidated. There has been petty vandalism at a campsite and a knife waved during a confrontation between locals and traveller children. All the complaints have led the police to the makeshift camp in a layby at the town's Devil's Bridge where dozens of caravans have congregated ahead of the fair in Appleby, which is 40 miles away. A field has been handed over by the town for the gypsies to graze their horses as a safety measure to make sure they aren't causing a hazard tethered on roadside verges. Locals say they have never seen so many Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) people descend on the town so early. And that may well be down to the successful clampdown in nearby Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria's Eden Valley. For years the town was the focus of the pre-fair gathering but in the recent past locals have fought back, closing down services and pubs and shutting off the places where travellers would usually set up camp. One Kirkby Lonsdale local told MailOnline: 'They seem to have descended on us this year and have come earlier and in bigger numbers than we have seen before. 'There have been problems caused by gypsy children in the town centre and closer to the camp they have set up in a layby.' And now the local cricket club, nestled in a picturesque setting, on the edge of the town has been left with no windows after the pavillion was smashed up. Cumbria Police say three 10-year-old boys - only just within the age of criminal responsibility - were arrested over the attack as part of the wider Appleby Fair policing operation. A cricket club spokesman raged against the 'mindless thuggery' and described the damage caused as 'heartbreaking.' The club posted on its social media channels: 'We have had serious vandalism and attempted vandalism at KLCC. 'So many people have worked hard to get the pavilion safe, and enjoyable for cricketers, Sedbergh School kids, our new ladies team, and all of our supporters. 'The clubhouse now just looks awful, with damage inside from a broken window from an attempt to break in, and now the boards we've had to put over all the windows. But travellers simply smashed down a fence and drove across the verge to occupy the site, leaving a trail of damage behind 'The stress this causes from absolute mindless thuggery, to no actual gain is heartbreaking for all involved. So if you do happen to be going past, and have a look at the eyesore of boarding, or see anyone trying to damage, please get in touch with us or the police. 'As always, we will come back from it, rebuild, and show strength as a club. Cumbria Police have been incredibly helpful, and have an investigation ongoing, hopefully we can find out who is causing us so much pain.' There were also problems at Woodclose Park caravan site where police investigated reports of criminal damage and the racial abuse of a security guard. It was reported that a group of traveller children had been abusive to staff and when asked to leave the park's reception set off fire extinguishers. A spokesman for the park said: 'The matter has been dealt with by the police.' In an earlier incident police detained and handcuffed two traveller children after a penknife was produced in front of a shocked local on a riverside path. The police action in the layby at Kirkby Lonsdale was captured on video by the boys' mother, showing one of her sons in tears tethered by the wrist to a policeman. The mum posted: 'Our boys were put in handcuffs on the basis of False allegations! Pure abuse of power and provoking behaviour! Bullying 10 year olds! 'You wouldn't see them doing this to anyone other community! And they wonder why our children are afraid of them, this could of been handled in a completely different manner!' A Cumbria Police spokesman said: 'Cumbria Police are aware of concerns being expressed on social media in response to the handcuffing and search of two boys at Kirkby Lonsdale. 'At around 11:30am on 22 May 2025 Cumbria Police received a call for service from a member of the public reporting a group of boys on the path by the River Lune one of whom threatened the caller with a penknife. 'Officers carried out a search in the area and located two boys based on the descriptions provided. 'Due to the report of a knife, the boys were handcuffed for their and officers safety while the searches were completed. A search was carried out and no knife located, and the handcuffs removed. Officers continue to engage with people in the area. 'Stop and search will be used as appropriate to ensure the safety of all communities as we work to ensure everyone has a safe Appleby Fair.' It is understood the family involved were asked to move on from Kirkby Lonsdale. An attempt by the town's business park to prevent travellers occupying their car park was made, with shipping containers placed at either end of the plot on the outskirts of the town, but ultimately failed. Travellers simply smashed down a fence and drove across the verge to occupy the site, leaving a trail of damage behind. Meanwhile nearby locals Kirkby Stephen is hoping the travelling will 'get the message' they're not welcome A local farmer said: 'You do everything you can to keep them at bay but they don't care, they'll take the law into their own hands and we have to clear it up when they're gone. 'Even if we hammered big posts into the ground to keep them out they'd just come along with a chainsaw, fell them and use the timber for firewood. 'I've had horses let into my fields of barley before. The horses got fed but the crop has been ruined.' At Devil's Bridge piles of rubbish and gas canisters were dumped at the roadside as some gypsies left to continue their journey towards Appleby. For the second year in a row every pub in Kirkby Stephen will close - some this weekend and some from Monday onwards - with only the community-owned sports and social club staying up to serve alcohol. Staves have been hammered deep into roadside verges with signs on making it clear that horses and caravans are not to park there. And if - as has happened in previous years - the staves are uprooted, deep trenches have been cut into the verges to make it impossible to park a caravan without the danger of tipping over. Railings along the high street have been covered by boards decorated with artwork by local kids so that horses can't be tied up along the busy A685 through the town. As one local put it: 'Kirkby Stephen is closed to travellers and we hope they're getting the message.' When it begins next week the event is expected to see 30,000 visitors roughly, 10,000 of them from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community. In its 250 year history the fair has only been cancelled twice, the first in 2001 during the foot and mouth outbreak and the second in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The gathering is billed as the biggest traditional gypsy fair in Europe and has developed traditions that take place every year. Gypsy horses are washed in the River Eden in Appleby and trotted up and down the 'flashing lane' - a closed off rural road - before being haggled over and bought. There is a market on Jimmy Winter's Field with stalls selling everything from fashion to horse-related wares. The fair is held outside the town of Appleby, at the point where the old Roman Road crosses Long Marton Road, on Gallows Hill, which was named after the public hangings that were once carried out there. It was once thought the fair originated from a royal charter to the borough of Appleby from King James II of England in 1685, although more recent research has found the charter was cancelled before it was ever enacted. The gathering is sometimes known as 'the New Fair' because Appleby's medieval borough fair, held at Whitsuntide, ceased in 1885. The 'New Fair' began in 1775 for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock. By the 1900s it had evolved into a major Gypsy/Traveller event which brought families from across the UK and Europe.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Scotland's travellers suffered 'cultural genocide', report says
Social experiments on Scotland's Gypsy travellers - including children being forcibly taken into care - were a form of "cultural genocide", new research schemes operated across Scotland in the last century which aimed to "settle" travellers by forcing them to leave their lives on the road for permanent settlements.A draft report of independent research commissioned by the Scottish government suggests there was also a "forced and systematic initiative" to remove traveller children from their families and Scottish government said it recognised that Gypsy traveller communities had been adversely affected through historical policies and would set out its response to the research soon. Efforts to "assimilate" travellers into Scottish society were first documented in the late 1800s, with the authorities wanting to force Gypsies into "normal" operation, known as the "Tinker Experiment", ran from the 1940s to 1980s and was supported by UK governments and Scottish local authorities at the time. In 2023 the Scottish government asked independent academics to research this experiment in the available archives.A draft of their findings was completed in September last year, and has been seen by BBC said that in addition to the well-documented housing issues, there was a "forced and systematic initiative to remove Gypsy/traveller children from their families and communities".This saw traveller children being placed into care, forced to attend industrial schools or adopted by non-traveller families in Scotland and report, produced by academics working for the Third Generation Project at the University of St Andrews, said churches, charities, local authorities, the police and the UK government's Scottish Office all played a role in academics recommend the Scottish government, as the body now responsible for the issue, issues an apology and consider paying compensation to those affected. 'Truths buried for decades' The draft report says that the apology should be for the polices, such as the Tinker Experiments, which "led to the dehumanisation, control, and assimilation" of travellers - as well as "the lack of action to redress these actions that are best characterised as 'cultural genocide'."Members of Scotland's traveller community have been campaigning for an apology for their treatment for years. The report's findings are explored in a new BBC podcast called 'The Cruelty - Stolen Generations'.Presenter Davie Donaldson, who comes from the traveller community, said: "I have spoken to many Scottish travellers whose families have been shattered and split apart because of the forced removal, generation after generation, of their children."This investigation has unearthed truths buried for decades, but now, with the leaked report, we have irrefutable evidence of what survivors and communities have long known - the state was complicit in the removal and segregation of traveller children."For the first time, it is named for what it was - cultural genocide." 'Trying to kill a culture' Martha, who asked for her surname not to be published, said she was forcibly removed from a Scottish traveller camp when she was just six months parents were out working while her grandparents were looking after her and her five siblings and who is now in her sixties, said all the children present were removed and she was eventually adopted by a non-traveller family."Genocide means killing something and that's what they were attempting to do by looks of things," she says."They were trying to kill a culture by taking the kids away, thinking that they would grow up with settled people and be like settled people."I think they should apologise. Because I stand firm in the fact that if it hadn't been for them, I would've known my parents, I would've known my three sisters and my two brothers that we were never told about."Fellow traveller Elizabeth, who also asked for her surname not to be published, said four of her siblings were forcibly removed when she was a 52-year-old said she and two other siblings were only able to stay with their parents because they all hid away in the Fife countryside, away from their traveller said: "We were happy when we were in the camp. We didn't have much, but we were happy."It's kind of destroyed a lot of people's lives, this separating families and taking bairns away from the folk and it should never have happened."They should be made responsible, including the churches and anybody else that was involved in it, because it's affected every one of us. I hope this government we have actually takes action." Understanding events Gypsy travellers were settled on sites across Scotland, including in Aberdeenshire, Argyll, Highlands, Perthshire, Fife and the said it was hard to pinpoint how many were forced from this life, or how many children were forcibly removed from the Scottish government said it had been working with local authorities' body Cosla on a £3m action plan aimed at supporting improvements to accommodation, education, healthcare and access to benefits for the traveller community.A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We recognise that Gypsy/traveller communities have been adversely affected through historical policies and actions and we want to understand events as fully as possible."We are committed to ensuring the voices of Gypsy/traveller communities are reflected in key decision-making forums and continue to take forward measures in our joint action plan with Cosla to improve outcomes for Gypsy travellers."The spokesperson said the independent archival research had been undertaken to establish key events, decisions and roles and will be officially published in due course, after which the government will consider its next steps.
