I’ve met good gypsies and bad gypsies. Sadly I have met far more of the bad ones.
george3:
I don’t see why, in a country that claims free speech, people can’t call a spade a spade. Every gipsy I’ve ever met (except one family) is a lying thieving piece of dodo and before any wonker on here starts gobbing off about making racist remarks, gypsies are not a race.
Yes, it’s true, UK gypsies aren’t a race, they are simply a disparate people who choose to live a certain lifestyle. They may live in houses or caravans, they may be English, Irish, or Romanian. There is no racial connection.
Lucy, the Battle of the Beanfield was not about the same type of traveller. I travelled to Stonehenge in 1983 to see Hawkwind, but I didn’t empty out a lorry driver’s fuel tank to do it.
I havent met many gypsies personally but all the ones i have met have either acted suspiciously around my truck or tried to buy a gallon of diesel of me for a tenner 
Lucy, the Battle of the Beanfield was not about the same type of traveller. I travelled to Stonehenge in 1983 to see Hawkwind, but I didn’t empty out a lorry driver’s fuel tank to do it.
And of course that make you an expert 
Pat
Lucy, the Battle of the Beanfield was not about the same type of traveller. I travelled to Stonehenge in 1983 to see Hawkwind, but I didn’t empty out a lorry driver’s fuel tank to do it.
Agreed, but it was nevertheless a turning point in Police/Traveller relations which affected Travellers of all kinds thereafter.
As my original post clearly states, this thread is aimed at those members of the TNUK community, who have not previously travelled over the A66 while this “event” is taking place.It was not based on any stereotypes with regard to the Gypsy/traveller Community. Purely on personal. and local knowledge of the problems which this event can cause , both on the A66 and in the wider local area.
I must also point out that a number of Travellers have been killed over the years. Those being particlarly at risk, being the drivers of the Horse drawn Vardos as they set off home ; who have been in collision with HGV,s. So my post was supposed to be for the benefit of all users of the A66 during this period.
Lucy,s robust defence , on behalf of the Gypsy/Travelling Community, appears to be based on the personal experience of having lived safely amongst them. She also appears to have no problem with parking in laybys amongst them, when on a Night-Out. She may well have some Talisman ,which protects her from the normal sort of attention; from Pick-up man ,his 3 to 4 companions, and his sludge pump, which Waggon Drivers experience if they park up almost anywhere ; Diesel theft being a particular problem, from which Lucy seems not to suffer. Lucky her.
Harry Monk, and others have put up an equally robust case for the “prosecution”, based on personal.and often very expensive and inconvenient experience. I stand unashamedly in that group. I have experience, going back to the early 1970,s of having Diesel tanks emptied while asleep. Also on one memorable occasion,after just parking up at Milton Keynes, of being told , after refusing the request for “a couple of pints of the owld diesel”, by the driver of a Brand New 4X4, by asking him (a) if he thought that I had just fallen out of a zbing tree, and (b)that less than 300 yards away there was a garage , which he had passed,at which he could fill her up at. I was then told that he would be back in 10 minutes with a gun, with which he would blow my zbing English head off.( Needless to say, when/if he did return with his shooter, I was well on my way up the M1. My Tacho card was in. When I parked up 35 miles up the road, I wrote the reason on the back of it.I never heard any more about it).
When this event is finally over. Local Newspaper reports will tell of the 42 year old Penrith mother of 2;Who was a much respected Special Needs Teacher, who died at the scene. Of her 65 year old Mother and a Friend, who were with her,and were both seriously injured as they cycled down a lane near a Travellers Site in Penrith, and were struck by a Transit van driven (reportedly) by a 17 year old youth from Dumfries who was resident on that site.This happened on Wednesday 3rd of June.( I offer my sincere condolences to all concerned at their sad loss.)
The local paper also contained a report about a guy from Yarm in the North-East, Louis Welch, referred to as " The King of the Gypsies", who was stabbed by members of another group, from Lancaster, at a trotting meeting which is a precursor to the main event at Appleby.
Next week also, if the usual form is anything to go by. The paper will contain reports of the mis-treatment of Horses and Dogs which has caused the RSPCA to double the amount of Personnel in attendance. As has been stated the Police are out in force, this also as a result of increasing problems caused by those attending this event. Half the businesses are closed . due to problems directly related to this event.
The Gypsy Leaders are complaining in the local press, about what they see as the oppressive police presence,and the increased regulation of their activities, while they attend what they refer to as The Most Important event on the Gypsy Calender.My personal view is,if they put their house in order, by sorting out that “minority” which those who support the Gypsy cause claim cause the problems -of being mis-understood- suffered by the Peace Loving, Law abiding majority; Then perhaps the general public, and Waggon Drivers, who also suffer from stereotyping as a result of the actions of the few, could hopefully co-exist in peace and harmony.
In conclusion, my thanks to the Forum moderators for removing that comment referring to Auschwitz.
If a ■■■■■ thieves enough, he can end up living in a mansion 
neil46:
BBC NEWS | England | ■■■■■■■ | Police make brawl arrests at fair
thats terrible
after 2 days of the fair…just goes to show that the 50 people are indicative of the trouble can happen in 48 hours
now see here… these arent travellers
http://www.redcafe.net/f6/50-arrested-after-blackburn-rovers-clash-manchester-united-197899/ and this was over a 3 hour football match
http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4575328
Heres 50 College students on a single saturday night
50 highly disreputable people arrested in 2 hours
dailymail.co.uk/news/article … ation.html
at any event you are going to have individuals who cause trouble, even if that 50 were all travellers thats a minute percentage of the 10,000 estimated there.
Yes 50 people arrested in a small town Like Appleby is a huge increase, but so is 40,000 extra visitors. 50 out of 40,000 is a tiny percentage for what is a long weekend of drinking and meeting up of many people some with old scores to settle, others simply out to cause trouble.
Or put it another way
39,950 people didnt do anything bad enough to get arrested
50 did, and thats enough to stereotype all the travellers there?
How about the majority?
Some?
a few?
or a tiny number of trouble makers?
and thats assuming every single one of those arrested so far was a Gypsy or traveller.
Jeez the Bulldog bash with far less people, many of whom in their day jobs are respectable office types/bankers got far more arrests and was far more violent.
Harry Monk:
If a ■■■■■ thieves enough, he can end up living in a mansion
Wouldn’t want to live in the penthouse!!
Woodland:
Coddy:
The Romanys are the true Gypsie, very loyal and very trustworthy, I would sooner have a Romany friend, than a ‘normal’ person anyday…Thats a load of guff if ever I heard any.
Actually it’s not. I also have a friend who’s a Romany and he would give you his last penny if you needed it. Not only that, if you were ever in trouble, he’d be the first one knocking on your door to help you out (and wouldn’t expect anything in return either). If there were more people like him around the world would be a nicer place. 
Rikki-UK:
Jeez the Bulldog bash with far less people, many of whom in their day jobs are respectable office types/bankers got far more arrests and was far more violent.
could you please tell me where you have got the statistics for that comment?
i don’t post on here a lot but have been following this thread with interest.
when i was younger (many moons ago) i used to go to appleby horse fair with my parents and other family. i haven’t been for years but know people who do go and to them it’s the highlight of their year. some take a week to get there and a week to get back. they are all genuine people, not travellers, they just have a love of horses.
these friends have been going to appleby for donkeys years and all of them admit that over the last 10/15 years the atmosphere and mood of the fair has changed from being a good week with some great craic and tales to tell. now they say they are sometimes unable to leave their living wagons unattended for fear of theft. the trouble is that there are too many youngsters who are on drink/drugs and want to fight the world. in days gone bye the site boxing ring was where scores were settled, not now.
as for the village of appleby, i know that when i worked for the co-op there would be guards on during the fair when we were delivering there. they used to dread the fair.
i regularly cross the a66 and was going past last week when the fair started, looked quite busy. on the way back over the eastbound side was very busy but only saw about 5/6 horse drawn vehicles. the majority of traffic seemed to be transit vans pulling caravans.
the only gripe i do have and it’s not with the fair really is that i do think that the horse drawn living wagons should be diverted off the a66 and onto the back-roads for safety’s sake. it’s not that long ago a lad was killed from my home village in durham.
Rikki-UK:
neil46:
BBC NEWS | England | ■■■■■■■ | Police make brawl arrests at fairthats terrible
after 2 days of the fair…just goes to show that the 50 people are indicative of the trouble can happen in 48 hours
now see here… these arent travellers
http://www.redcafe.net/f6/50-arrested-after-blackburn-rovers-clash-manchester-united-197899/ and this was over a 3 hour football match
Oh come on Rikki, take your PC hat off. You are a truck driver, same as the rest of us. You wouldn’t park up overnight next to a ■■■■■ camp.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about ■■■■■■…
■■■■■’s most common contemporary use is not as a term for the Gypsy ethnic group, but as a catch-all phrase to refer to people, of any ethnic group, who travel around with no fixed abode.
It’s not about being racist, it’s just about hating the people who constantly thieve from us.
Harry, yes I would and have done, with no problems on quite a few ocassions. I will also say that I have parked up near a Gypsy camp and had my deisel drained.
are the two connnected? My diesel got drained near Doncaster, it also got drained near Doncaster on 3 other occasions long after the Gypsy camp moved on… does that mean all Doncaster residents are fuel thieves?
Yes I have said it , SOME of the travelling community are complete scum bags, but so are some policemen, lorry drivers, Most MP’s and a few bankers, but by using derogatory terms for all some people are showing unfound prejudice,
If in any group of 10.000 people (asssuming worst case all 50 were gypspies) and only 50 were wrong uns? you think out out of a snap shot of 10.000 truck drivers only 50 would be 100% legal■■?.. take 10,000 lorry drivers in one place out on the beer for two days, if only 50 got arrested (27 in one incident) I wolud call that a bloody miracle
The bad uns get the rest a bad reputataion, you should know that the way you are looked at and treated as a driver is down to that small percentage of drivers who act like the steroetype
I,m beginning to regret having put this post up. It was meant to act as a friendly,and possibly helpful, warning to any TNUK members, who might be making their first trip across the A66, while this event is on. It was not intended to stir up any disagreements between TNUK members,such as that currently taking place between Rikki and Harry Monk and others. I regret having been the root cause of that.
Anyone wishing to check any of the details which I have posted, and which were taken from my local paper, can do so by Googling cwherald.com and clicking on “News” on list on left hand side.They will find on there the reports, from which I have quoted, of the Death of Mrs.Stoddart, and the circumstances in which it took place.Also details of the stabbing incident.
Apparently there are 300 BowTop vans in attendance this year. (some, but not all, will be on trailers for the journey home). It is those Bowtops, which are Horse drawn, which present the biggest problem to A66/A68/A1 users, which is why my post, based on local knowledge, was put up.
Take care on Thursday when the exodus begins.
Online article from Horse and Hound: horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/284171.html
Spate of arrests at Appleby Horse Fair after mass brawl
by Amy Mathieson, H&H news writer
8 June, 2009
A spate of arrests took place over the weekend (6-7 June) at Appleby Horse Fair in ■■■■■■■■
The fair (4-10 June) is the largest annual gathering of Romany gypsies and travellers in Britain and attracts nearly 400,000 visitors to the area.
Fifty-three people were arrested between 8am on Saturday (6 June) and 8am Sunday (7 June).
And 27 of those were arrested in connection with a mass brawl that broke out between two rival gangs at 5am on Sunday.
One man was taken to ■■■■■■■■■■ Infirmary in Carlisle with head injuries.
A further seven were arrested in connection with the incident on Sunday. All have now been released on bail.
Nearly 60 whips were confiscated in the same time period and 36 fines issued for various traffic and low-level public disorder offences.
Other arrests were related to violence, drug and alcohol offences. And on Friday (5 June), police recovered counterfeit goods with a street value of £250,000.
Chief superintendent Steve Johnson, who was in charge of the Appleby Fair policing operation, said: "Our officers are continuing to work hard to provide proportionate enforcement of the law.
“Saturday was our busiest night and things have quietened down noticeably overnight with people now beginning to make their way home.”
In relation to the brawl Chief Supt Johnson said: "Early intervention by our officers neutralised the situation and avoided what could have turned into a significant incident of disorder at an isolated location outside the town.
"Our officers were faced with violence and a community that did not want to engage. Officers dealt with the situation in a firm and fair manner under difficult circumstances.
“Our message is clear – violent behaviour will not be tolerated in ■■■■■■■ and we will respond to disorder proportionately and robustly.”
Last week the RSPCA announced it was doubling the number of staff at the event to 20 to provide round-the-clock presence.
RSPCA officers gave animal health advice to 47 people and issued six formal warnings.
RSPCA chief inspector Rob Melloy said: "Nobody likes the rain but from an animal welfare point of view it was very good news indeed.
"There were fewer people taking horses into the river, the horses on the ‘flashing lane’ were going at a slower and safer pace and of course there was no danger of a repeat of the two dogs which died in a hot car last year.
“We had a very visible presence and people were coming to us with anything they were concerned about, which is something we’re really keen to promote.”
One horse was put down after being hurt in accident.
A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “A horse came into us with a bad tendon injury. After explaining the nature of it to the owner they decided to sign it over into our care. Despite veterinary treatment its condition deteriorated and sadly it had to be euthanised.”
