After the YEP revealed last month that Leeds City Council is to introduce a new 28-day amnesty period for Gypsy and Traveller encampments, we were inundated with letters and online comments on the issue.

Some of the negative backlash prompted one young member of the Leeds Romany Gypsy community - Teresa Birtle, 22 - to write a passionate response.
As a Romany Gypsy who has lived in Leeds much of my life, I am upset by recent letters regarding Travellers and Gypsies.

Leeds is a very diverse place with many different ethnicities and identities.
Surely it’s obvious that within those different identities people are not all the same - yet things are said about Travellers as if we are.

Leeds does not have enough permanent or transit sites so we have to camp wherever we can.

We are making the best of a bad situation and often, due to lack of adequate provision, we are forced to live alongside people on the camp who have very different values to us.

Link: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/i-m-a-roma-gypsy-and-a-proud-and-responsible-loiner-and-i-m-fed-up-of-all-the-negativity-about-my-community-1-8694300

On the 2nd of August in Parliament Square, Westminster, Roma from all around the UK gathered to protest against racial discrimination, commemorating the victims of Romano Samudaripen – the Roma Genocide during World War Two.

The London rally was supported by the European GRT society. Leaders and activists from Ireland, Sweden, France and Italy flew all way to the UK capital for only one day, to stand together for Roma rights and to pay tribute to the victims of Holocaust.  
On this day Roma, Gypsy and Travellers stood side by side in London for campaigning against prejudices and discrimination.

The entire protesting group headed towards the European Comission and European Parliament representations in the UK, where the GRT community and supporters showed the “red card” to the EU office, for failing defending Roma Fundamental Human Rights in Europe.

Link: https://www.travellerstimes.org.uk/news/2019/08/nai-bistarde-unforgotten-roma-holocaust-commemorated-london?fbclid=IwAR2Bb7XiL7bZRCVHCXVzdWPc5zpRXFEGReIdaM2dy9pT_JsVeJMty2ugAvI