Romani Eviction - Help Needed
a.t. | 23.10.2002 07:46
Five year ago 27 Romani families bought a l7-acre caravan park, (Woodside, Sandy, Beds) already licensed as a holiday caravan site. They were following government "advice" to buy land and set up private sites - as the Criminal Justice Act had done away with the old Caravan Sites Act which obliged local council to provide them. It cost them £300,000 and they made all the improvements initially required by Mid Beds Council. But still the council refused planning permission. It went to two public inquiries and a final appeal. In the end it was John Prescott turned them down.
The council falsely claimed the land was liable to flooding - and that caravans were not in character with the hamlet of Hatch (forget that they had agreed to holiday caravans). So what is happening? Cliff Codona, who has fought for this land so long, says its "ethnic cleansing" based on racism. Eviction notices says the site will be "cleared" on 1 November (or shortly after).
The council intends to seize the land to pay the eviction costs, allowing only £2,000 per acre. The true development value of the site has been put as high as £5 million.
We are asking you to join us in a protest when the council have a final meeting at Council Offices, Dunstable Street, Ampthill at 6.30 pm on 31 October. We want to pack the public gallery. And we ask that those of you who can to come back to Woodside with us that night (lifts for those who came up to Ampthill by train) when there'll be camp fires and wine (free, almost limitless supply of homemade wines, damson, apple, pear, elderberry-flower etc). Next morning, we'll face the eviction squad together - and defeat them!! The eviction could be Friday November 1- or the following Monday or Tuesday.
"We want to make it as physically hard for them to evict as is possible. There are two entrances to block. Fires, Heavy vehicle. Barricades of car bodies. The rear entry/exit is through a plantation of large poplar trees, which belongs to Cliff Codona (chairman of the National Travellers Action Group) which could be blocked in various ways eg from low platforms (say eight or ten feet) built between the trees, we could make it impossible to get caravans passed (by lowering obstacle, portcullis effect).
Thursday October 17 would be a good day to work on the defences. Could some people meet us there on this day? Give us ideas, starts on things. We have a lot of wooden pallets, some beams and girders. We need some lorry covers for tents. Ladders . More pots and pans, for noise making. We plan to have rockets to set off as a signal, if they come at dawn. There are seven garden sheds for accommodation of supporters.
So far, ten or 20 people are ready to come up the night before (31 Oct) and between 50 and 100 on the morning of 1 November (Friday). Students are coming from Cambridge. Two buses used as Mobile Schools, are moving in beforehand. The Mid Beds Council have put enforcement in the hands of Mills & Reeves, of 54 Hagley Road, Edgebaston, Birmingham B168PE (protest outside this office is being organized). They will get contractors. We are trying to get more info, because it could be a cat and mouse game.
FINAL resistance will be by locking ourselves in caravans (with the wheels removed) and sheds."
For further information etc contact:
ustiben.5@ntlworld.com
The council falsely claimed the land was liable to flooding - and that caravans were not in character with the hamlet of Hatch (forget that they had agreed to holiday caravans). So what is happening? Cliff Codona, who has fought for this land so long, says its "ethnic cleansing" based on racism. Eviction notices says the site will be "cleared" on 1 November (or shortly after).
The council intends to seize the land to pay the eviction costs, allowing only £2,000 per acre. The true development value of the site has been put as high as £5 million.
We are asking you to join us in a protest when the council have a final meeting at Council Offices, Dunstable Street, Ampthill at 6.30 pm on 31 October. We want to pack the public gallery. And we ask that those of you who can to come back to Woodside with us that night (lifts for those who came up to Ampthill by train) when there'll be camp fires and wine (free, almost limitless supply of homemade wines, damson, apple, pear, elderberry-flower etc). Next morning, we'll face the eviction squad together - and defeat them!! The eviction could be Friday November 1- or the following Monday or Tuesday.
"We want to make it as physically hard for them to evict as is possible. There are two entrances to block. Fires, Heavy vehicle. Barricades of car bodies. The rear entry/exit is through a plantation of large poplar trees, which belongs to Cliff Codona (chairman of the National Travellers Action Group) which could be blocked in various ways eg from low platforms (say eight or ten feet) built between the trees, we could make it impossible to get caravans passed (by lowering obstacle, portcullis effect).
Thursday October 17 would be a good day to work on the defences. Could some people meet us there on this day? Give us ideas, starts on things. We have a lot of wooden pallets, some beams and girders. We need some lorry covers for tents. Ladders . More pots and pans, for noise making. We plan to have rockets to set off as a signal, if they come at dawn. There are seven garden sheds for accommodation of supporters.
So far, ten or 20 people are ready to come up the night before (31 Oct) and between 50 and 100 on the morning of 1 November (Friday). Students are coming from Cambridge. Two buses used as Mobile Schools, are moving in beforehand. The Mid Beds Council have put enforcement in the hands of Mills & Reeves, of 54 Hagley Road, Edgebaston, Birmingham B168PE (protest outside this office is being organized). They will get contractors. We are trying to get more info, because it could be a cat and mouse game.
FINAL resistance will be by locking ourselves in caravans (with the wheels removed) and sheds."
For further information etc contact:
ustiben.5@ntlworld.com
a.t.