Protest and survive

Drive 2 Survive has joined local site residents in calling for a demonstration at Hertfordshire

County Council on August 18th. We are inviting all anti-racists to join us.

This protest, taking place on 18th August, is being led by residents and supporters to shine a light on the shocking conditions and systemic failures across Local Authority Gypsy and Traveller sites throughout Hertfordshire – and beyond. From unsafe living conditions, poor maintenance, and lack of repairs, to the absence of proper consultation and a culture of neglect, families have been left voiceless and unsupported.

This particular protest has been prompted at the callous treatment of site residents after the devastating fire that destroyed 90% of the Ver Meadow's Travellers site run by Hertfordshire County Council. The residents have been left in substandard hotel rooms with no cooking facilities with no culturally appropriate accommodation being forthcoming, and we understand that even this little help will soon be withdrawn.

This action also speaks to a wider, nationwide crisis facing nomadic communities. Across the country, local authorities continue to fail in their legal and moral obligations, leaving generations of Gypsy and Traveller people to endure substandard conditions and discrimination in the very places they call home.

We demand safe, secure, and culturally appropriate accommodation, investment in existing sites, and a seat at the table for residents in decisions that affect their lives.

Drive 2 Survive co-chair Sherry Smith, who has been working directly with the traumatised families said: " We need to come together to show our solidarity with these traumatised families and demand that Hertfordshire County Council treat them with respect in line with their legal duty as a landlord and their legal race equality duty. That's why we will joining Gypsies and Travellers from all over the country in bringing out grievances to their door."

We have seen lots of support for this demonstration within the community on social media, but have also seen that some people are linking it to racist messages about migrant communities and are calling for Reform UK to be involved. We are proud to be part of a wider anti-racist movement that stands in solidarity with all marginalised people irrespective of where they were born and respectfully ask that anybody with strong views about immigration to stay away. We believe it is disrespectful to the families that have been traumatised to attempt to hijack their plight to spread racist messages and that the demonstration is no place for people like Nigel Farage who attempt to profit from creating divisions between communities.

Drive 2 Survive Co-chair Jake Bowers added: "Attempting to fight racism with racism is not only stupid and dangerous, but it's insulting to the traumatised residents of Ver Meadows. It's also insulting to the many generations of Gypsies and Travellers that have been persecuted and killed by right wing forces that are turning on migrants at this moment, but are just as likely to turn on us in future. For this reason we have invited colleagues from anti-racist movements like Stand Up tio Racism, who recently outnumbered fascist thugs outside a migrant hostel in Epping by five to one."

Enough is enough. Join us on 18th August to stand up for dignity, equality, and justice