Latest news with #IrishTravellers
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Travellers at overcrowded Brent site asked to leave by council
Irish Travellers living on an authorised site in north London have been sent letters asking many of them to leave due to overcrowding. The breach notices from Brent Council said the proximity of mobile homes and caravans within Lynton Close in Neasden was a fire risk and posed an "intolerable risk to life".It said "bricks-and-mortar" temporary accommodation was available for established residents to move into, however many called the offer "culturally inappropriate". Bernie Corcoran, 58, has lived in Lynton Close since it opened in 1997. He said: "We're not just going to get up and leave, we're going to make a stand." Mr Corcoran, who is considered by residents as one of the elders in the community, said he had always accompanied council representatives any time they visited the site. "If they're coming down here to evict everyone, they'll have to have the British army with them," he told the Brigid Corcoran, 48, of no relation to Mr Corcoran, pointed to a mobile home close to her own. "That's my daughter's home. She lives there, she needs that," she said. She said Brent Council had asked for it to be removed. "If I don't agree to that, I get an eviction," she early April, a wave of "notices for breach of licence" were sent to residents from the council, beginning a process of civil Corcoran believes she is one of roughly 300 residents, including 90 children, who face eviction if they do not comply with the council's demands "to bring the site within safe and legal limits".Residents were told that voluntary compliance was encouraged "to avoid the need for legal escalation". Lynton Close, which opened with 31 pitches, has become densely populated over the years and overcrowding is not a new issue.A report by Brent Council estimated there were now as many as 74 mobile homes on 2017, months after the Grenfell Tower fire, Brent Council published a report on the traveller site and described space between individual homes and neighbouring pitches as "practically non-existent", and said this posed a fire said the risk of a fire spreading would reduce if a gap of 19ft 7in (6m) was "maintained between each individual residence" or "a fire-resisting wall" was built between each who the BBC spoke to said that neither of the mitigation measures was discussed with them nor the BBC asked Brent Council about any efforts to complete the work that the 2017 report requested, the council did not respond on that point, but said the site's most recent risk assessment superseded the 2017 report. A London Fire Brigade officer who previously worked with the council on making Lynton Close more fire secure said he installed about 70 smoke alarms " in every van and mobile home that we could". Brent Council said the site's level of overcrowding had become an "intolerable risk to life" and told residents that it had accommodation in the borough ready for them to move into."The properties that we have found and matched families to are available now. They are all in Brent and have been matched to the specific requirements of families," the local authority told residents in a letter in woman, who did not want to be identified and who cannot read, told the BBC that the council asked her to sign a document relating to its offer of a temporary she said she did not realise that she and her family may end up outside the borough if she signed the Wright, chief executive of the council, apologised to the family and said established residents were assured there was "safe, affordable, secure, bricks-and-mortar accommodation for them in Brent". Some residents have left the site in an effort to comply with the council's breach early May, the BBC observed one family leave Lynton Close, towing their mobile home with a pick-up truck. "We'll try to find a Tesco or Asda car park, or some vacant land somewhere," the driver said. Dr Nancy Hawker from non-profit organisation London Gypsy and Travellers said some of the Lynton Close residents had been made homeless."The council had promised to accommodate anyone displaced as a result of the council's orders, but they have broken their promise," Dr Hawker said."We have found where residents of Lynton Close have agreed - under pressure of threats of wholesale site closure - to move at the council's behest, they have been denied council accommodation, and have been made homeless as a result." Ms Wright said she would not comment on the specifics of individual cases, adding that residents who were not deemed to be "established residents" would not receive the same housing offer."Any members of the community who weren't living there in April as an established resident absolutely will be supported through our homelessness program," she said. Local Labour MP Dawn Butler wrote to Brent Council's chief executive "deeply concerned" by what she saw and heard from residents after visiting the site in May. "Many families feel they are being displaced once again without consideration, echoing generational trauma," she said in a Wright said the council was not conducting "enforcement evictions"."What we've been doing with the residents is working with them really constructively in the last few months," she said."We recognise that there have been some mental health concerns and some anxiety and distress on the site and no-one wants to be in the position to see that."We have put in place a package of support for them through a community support day." Many Lynton Close residents told the BBC that they feared speaking publicly about what was happening in case they were treated also said they had no intention of moving into the bricks-and-mortar accommodation being offered by the council and called it "culturally inappropriate".Ms Wright said: "I recognise that bricks and mortar is not their chosen lifestyle."We have a situation at the moment where that site is unsafe and there are overcrowded living conditions and no responsible landlord wants to see their tenants living in those conditions."We've been clear with any family who is interested in moving that it would be a temporary relocation for them and we have already had two families that have moved off the site into bricks and mortar on a temporary basis."
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
Scottish court reveals details surrounding death of Ontario restaurant owner
A Scottish court hearing has revealed new details about three men facing charges in the death of an Owen Sound, Ont., restaurateur, and the measures they allegedly took to escape police. Sharif Rahman, 44, was attacked outside of The Curry House restaurant in downtown Owen Sound, on Aug. 17, 2023, after confronting three men about an unpaid $150 bill. The 44-year-old husband and father of a young girl, died a week later in a London, Ont., hospital. Robert Evans, 24, faces a charge of manslaughter, while his father, Robert Busby Evans, 47, and his uncle, Barry Evans, 54, are charged with being accessories after the fact. All three appeared in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on May 22, for a preliminary hearing on an extradition request made by Canadian authorities. The court provided CBC News with exclusive access to documents prepared by the Ontario Provincial Police and Crown — containing details that Canadian authorities have so far refused to share with the media or public. The filings, along with testimony during the hearing, reveal that the men are members of an Irish Traveller community located near Manchester, England, and had been in Owen Sound — along with at least two other family members — for a number of days before the alleged attack. Robert Evans Sr. was reportedly working in the area, despite being in Canada on a visitor visa. Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic group similar to, but ethnically distinct from, the Roma people. Police were called to Rahman's restaurant at 9:23 p.m. for a report of an assault in progress, arriving minutes later to find the restaurateur lying on the ground outside, gravely injured. A witness to the confrontation told officers that he saw Robert Evans Jr. punch Rahman in the face, causing him to fall backward. As he hit the pavement, there was a loud thud, likened to the sound of "a bowling ball falling six feet from the air." It is alleged that Robert Evans Jr., his uncle Barry, and another, previously unidentified family member — Robert Justin Evans — were present during the altercation. The court was told that Barry Evans instructed Robert Evans Jr. to "run," then left to collect their vehicle, a grey SUV, picking him up from another downtown location. In the aftermath, all three men reportedly fled to Collingwood, Ont., 65 kilometres away. Robert Justin Evans has not been charged in connection with the alleged events. Court files reveal actions following altercation The procurator fiscal, Scotland's equivalent of a Crown prosecutor, told the court that cellphone records document "a flurry" of calls made to Robert Evans Sr. — who was not present at the restaurant — by all three men in the minutes and hours after the altercation. The senior Evans quickly left a local Owen Sound hotel where he had been staying with his brother. Surveillance photos in the court files show Barry Evans visiting the reception desk on two occasions the following day — first to retrieve what was left of their cash deposit, and then to request the return of their registration documentation and a photocopy that had been taken of his passport. That same day, Robert Evans Sr. reportedly arranged transport for his son to Toronto's Pearson International airport and booked him an evening flight to Manchester. To date, Canadian authorities have provided the public with almost no information about the case, refusing to specify why the accused were in the country, how and when they left, or discuss details about the altercation that led to Rahman's death. In August 2024, almost a year after the restaurateur's death, police issued a brief news release saying "arrests" had been made, but gave no further insights. It wasn't until Dec. 19 that year that investigators finally disclosed the names of their suspects and confirmed that the father and son had been apprehended in late July, and the uncle at the end of October. Police Scotland said at the time that all three had been arrested in the Edinburgh and Dalkeith areas in connection with an international warrant. Ontario court documents about the case remain sealed, and a CBC News request for a judicial review of the file has been pending since mid-March. Questions from CBC News about the case have gone unanswered, with the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Crown and courts all saying there is no "publicly available information" to share. Extradition hearing set for August The preliminary hearing in Edinburgh court is set to resume on in June, with a full extradition hearing set for mid-August. All three men remain in custody. Thursday's preliminary hearing ran well beyond the allotted time, as the court began the process of grappling with legal arguments about "dual criminality." The defence is asking whether the accessory after the fact charges made under Canadian law are similar enough to the "attempting to pervert the course of justice" charges that exist in Scots law to be dealt with by a single court, or whether the case needs to be tried in both countries. The arguments dragged on so long that a prison officer who was hand-cuffed to Barry Evans fell asleep in the box. A group of Evans family supporters watched the proceedings from the public gallery, calling on the men to "smile" and asking if they were alright. They said they had travelled from the Manchester area for the hearing, but refused to answer other questions. "It's a disgrace," said one of the men, suggesting the case should never have come to court.
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Experiences of Traveller children in school more negative as they progress through system
Traveller children become less likely to have a positive attitude towards school and are substantially more likely to be placed in the lowest ability groups for both reading and maths. In the early years of primary school, Traveller children generally showed similar, or even higher, levels of positive attitudes towards school, the curriculum, and wellbeing when compared to their peers. However, a 'concerning pattern of decline emerges' as they progress to the senior end of primary school, as they become much less likely than their classmates to report doing well. They are also more likely to believe they are "no good" when it comes to classwork. Irish Traveller children also report experiencing bullying, both being bullied and bullying others, at higher rates than any other ethnic group. However, despite these challenges, Traveller children are also less likely to report feeling worried or anxious, and have slightly more positive views on friendships in some cases. The findings are included in the latest round of data published by the 'Children's School Lives' study, a landmark report following 4,000 students through almost 200 primary schools around the country. Funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the latest report from the project examines the impact of migration and ethnicity on children's school lives. While children in Irish primary schools generally feel happy, cared for, and safe, that equality of experience is not yet universal. More than 21% of children in the study had an immigrant background; 6% were first-generation immigrants, meaning they were born outside of Ireland to parents also born outside of Ireland, while 15% were second-generation, meaning they were born in Ireland to parents born outside of Ireland. The number of Irish Traveller children who took part in the study is comparable to representation of Irish Travellers in the general population, the report notes. Feelings of belonging in school were significantly associated with migrant and ethnic profile, the report found. Children with an immigrant background, especially those who were first-generation, were less likely than their non-immigrant peers to report that they made friends easily, feel that they belonged in school or were liked by other children at school. In the earlier years of primary school, Traveller children generally showed similar or even higher levels of positive attitudes towards school, engagement with the curriculum, and wellbeing compared to their white Irish peers. However, as they progressed more negative experiences "predominate". The report recommends a policy focus on the transition of Traveller children into the senior end of primary school and on "the systems of support that are required to build on the positive momentum evident in the earlier years". Read More Poorer girls more likely to be placed in lowest maths ability groups, research shows
Belfast Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘There's nothing worse than falling in love with a book, then recommending it to someone who is entirely unmoved by it.'
I loved a lot of books as a child — I read everything, we were always in and out of the library — but I was, like probably all Irish children, deeply affected by Marita Conlon-McKenna's books. We read Under The Hawthorn Tree (1990), and its sequels: Wildflower Girl (1991) and Fields of Home (1996). I loved best her book The Blue Horse (1992): it was the first story I ever read about Irish Travellers. Her characters are strong and brave and I loved them, but the book didn't hide the racism and injustice that Irish Travellers face, either. It stuck with me.
