Dale Farm fundraiser

October 26, 2011 19:00

Published: October 21, 2011 19:28 by Reposter |

Published by group: Autonomous Nottingham
Tagged as: anti-racism dalefarm

Places:

Despite the eviction almost being over, those affected will still be needing support. So next Wednesday at the Sumac Centre we'll be having night of films, discussions, and dinner all for the meagre sum of five quid. All money goes to Dale Farm solidarity. Doors open at 7pm

A veteran of the battle of the beanfield will introduce films about different traveller cultures and history’s, and we’ll serve some hearty dinner

This week the residents of Dale Farm are once more under threat of eviction.Whether the bailiffs and cops come in this week or not the people down at Dale Farm will be needing cash money to support the defence of Dale Farm, so come along educate yourselves, gorge yourself on food and hand over some cash.

Dale Farm, in Crays Hill, Essex, is the UK’s largest Travellers’ community, consisting of nearly a hundred separate properties, lying well outside the village and made up of extended family plots or yards. As can be seen in the aerial photo on the left, it was a scrapyard before it was purchased by Travellers as a site to build their homes.

Most are owned by Travellers of Irish heritage, although some Romani families also own yards. The estate is divided in two sections, the front part (about 45 plots) has planning permission; while the back part (52 plots) despite numerous applications and appeals, has been refused planning consent, even though the site was previously a disused scrap yard! According to the Commission on Racial Equality, 90% of traveller
planning applications are initially rejected compared to 20% overall.

Caving in to racial prejudice, Basildon District Council (BDC) has set aside 8 million pounds to demolish the homes in the back 52 plots. It has also set aside an additional £10 million for policing the eviction, of which the Home Office have contributed £6 million. Eric Pickles’s Communities and Local Government office have contributed another £1.2m.

Links:

Dale Farm Solidarity

Autonomous Nottingham

---