Britain’s most notorious anti-Gypsy bailiff company claims it is
taking on the biggest clearance operation ever mounted against a
Traveller community in Britain.
Constant & Co., which specialises in clearing Gypsies from their own land, has won the contract to demolish Dale Farm, home to 500 Irish Travellers near Crays Hill, Essex.
The
job, worth an estimated three million euro, could entail removing,
and on some plots smashing chalets and mobile-homes, and physically
forcing up to 100 families, including children, the elderly and infirm, to leave the district.
Over twenty-five people, including members of anti-fascist groups and the
Catholic Church, protested outside the Basildon Centre on 10 December,
International Human Rights Day as the council’s cabinet met to award
the deal.
They held up placards saying, “CONSTANT & CO ARE RACIST THUGS”, “STOP THE BAILIFF BULLIES” and “STOP ETHNIC CLEANSING.”
A spokesperson for Dale Farm said afterwareds that along with their homes and
children?s primary school, the families stand to lose their unique
youth-club community centre and Saint Christopher?s Chapel.
?This
is ethnic-cleansing,? said one mother. ?But the council are trying to
disguise that fact with a lot of politically correct language.”
Because of the high cost of the work, Basildon were compelled to put it out to tender
in the official Journal of the European Union. In its ad the council
stated that the winner bidder must ?demonstrate a commitment to
upholding the principles of equality and diversity legislation and be
sensitive and responsive to the needs of people.?
Basildon’s
decision to award the contract to Constant and co and drawn criticism
from Traveller campaigners. They say Constant has conducted previous
evictions in a way that flaunted EU health and safety regulations, and
resulted in the needless destruction of private belongings.
Jean Sheridan, a Dale Farm mother of triplets, is fearful of the injury bailiffs
could
cause her babes. She hopes that before Constant is ordered in she will
be able to mount a case in the European Court of Human Rights.
?We have nowhere else to go and my babes need medical help,? Jean says. ?They were born prematurely and lucky to live. How will they survive theterrors Constant will bring??