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Posted by ++ on February 15, 2008, 10:54 am
*****
AdvocacyNet News Bulletin 129 February 14, 2008
*****
Dale Farm Eviction Crisis Reaches the British High Court
London, February 14, 2008: The British High Court is considering an=20
appeal by 86 Traveller families at the Dale Farm site amidst growing=20
concern that their mass eviction would create a major medical emergency=20
in southeast England.
The hearing started on Monday before Justice Collins, a senior judge on=20
the Court, and was expected to end on Friday. It is the most significant =
development yet in the long-running Dale Farm controversy, which is=20
testing Britain=E2=80=99s commitment to the protection of vulnerable mino=
rities.
The crisis began in June 2005, when the Basildon County Council ordered=20
the 86 families evicted from their homes at Dale Farm because they have=20
been denied planning permission. Dale Farm is in the Green Belt, which=20
is protected from development.
Last week, the Dale Farm Housing Association, which represents the=20
Travellers, interviewed 17 families that face eviction and found an=20
86-year-old woman in a wheelchair; her 76-year-old brother, who has been =
deaf since birth; a 67-year-old cancer patient; a young mother who is=20
pregnant with twins; and two children with serious hearing disabilities.
"The medical condition of the Dale Farm population =E2=80=93 particularly=
=20
elderly, single mothers and children =E2=80=93 is precarious. Eviction wo=
uld=20
create a medical crisis," says the Association report.
The report was compiled with help from James Dasinger, a Peace Fellow=20
from The Advocacy Project (AP) who is volunteering with the Association. =
It has been given to Keith Lomax, the lawyer who is coordinating the=20
Travellers' legal defense team.
The poor health of the Dale Farm community is central to the Travellers' =
case, because under Britain's Human Rights Act the Basildon Council must =
show that the impact of eviction on the Travellers is outweighed by the=20
need to protect the Green Belt and respect the integrity of local plannin=
g.
But the Association's survey suggests that the risk to the Travellers'=20
health from eviction would far outweigh the impact of letting them stay. =
Once on the road, they would be unable to find regular treatment for=20
chronic ailments. The education of their children, who attend the local=20
primary school, would also be interrupted.
The Basildon Council has refused to assess the impact of eviction on=20
race relations, as required by law, or find an alternative site for=20
Travellers. In December, the Council was told to find 81 new Traveller=20
housing plots by its own governing body, or Regional Assembly.
Justice Collins said on Monday that he expected to rule on the appeal by =
Easter. While he gave no hint of the likely verdict, he described the=20
Council=E2=80=99s position as "unhelpful" on several occasions and said h=
e would=20
call for a "rethink" of forced evictions.
Nonetheless, few are ready to predict the outcome of the High Court=20
hearing. Two government ministers and several planning inspectors have=20
ruled against the Travellers since 2005.
About forty Travellers hired a bus from Dale Farm and held a peaceful=20
demonstration at the Court on Monday, before attending the hearing in=20
the austere 126 year-old courthouse. Several said that reaching the High =
Court is a major achievement for their advocacy and expressed confidence =
in British justice. "Somebody out there must have a heart," said=20
Mary-Anne McCarthy, a 68-year-old widow.
Zach Scott, from Georgetown University, served as the first AP Peace=20
Fellow at Dale Farm last summer. AP hopes that Mr Dasinger, his=20
successor, will help the Travellers reach out to the mainstream human=20
rights movement and develop an IT project for young Travellers.
Last week, the Travellers received a strong endorsement from the Gypsy=20
Council, an influential UK-based advocacy group that plans to lobby all=20
members of the Basildon Council against eviction.
* AP has posted interviews and video footage of Dale Farm and the=20
demonstration <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D3JAyI-oB5dc> outside the =
High Court.
* Read a timeline of the Dale Farm controversy=20
<http://www.advocacynet.org/page/dalefarm#Dale_Farm_Timeline>.
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