Of all this year's events marking Roma Nation Day in the UK - and it was the biggest package yet - the most poignant
for me was the sight of actor Michael Collins, over here from Dublin shoveling away an earth barrier at Five Acre Farm.
Along with thirty others, including Thames Valley Gypsy Asso. and Dublin Corporation councillor Mick Rafferty, he was
there to make the point that Basildon Council is hell-bent on ethnic-cleansing and it's been cutting a few legal corners.
What about the right of landowners to access onto their own property? “Don't Come Back” the local headlines ran.
But on Saturday we were back and, at least in gesture, chipping away at the barriers of prejudice and far-right racism.
In the afternoon, Collins was helding all spellbound with his one-man play “Traveller In Progress” at nearby Laindon.
Opening the night before alongside ensemble Romani Rad at the Brentwood Theatre, this agitprop-style production covering
forty years of life, love and the fight for liberty, is certainly winning new converts and supporters.
They signed up in droves at Laindon, despite or perhaps because of the riot police parked outside the hall. It made you feel
like you were in Birmingham Alabama in the l960s, rather than Basildon Essex in the here and now.
Comforting words came from the Irish Embassy representative Alma Ni Choigligh who assured us that Ambassador
O Ceallaigh had lately become well aware of the plight of Travellers and what was happening to them in darkest Essex.
Quote of an eventful week must be that of Father John Glynn, who stands to lose many parishioners. In an 8 April article
in the influential Economist magazine entitled The Siege of Dale Farm he says: "I'll be up there at the site if they evict the
Traveller's. And my poster will say This is ethnic-cleansing."
Meanwhile, Father Glynn took away with him for presentation shortly to council leader Malcolm Buckley a world-wide
petition backed by Italian-NGO International Alliance of Inhabitants calling on Basildon to back off from its five million Euro
plan to destroy some 120 homes at Dale Farm and nearby Five Five Acre Farm.
The 8th April euphoria continued into the night with an after show party at Dale Farm, which brought together Traveller's,
Roma and a young Pakistani contingent from the newly formed Punjabi Human Rights Monitoring Team, which like several
other groups, including Corin Redgrave's Peace & Progress Party, are ready to be there should the bulldozers be sent in.
The Red Wheels Festival was largely sponsored by the Traveller's Aid Trust and the post-performance party by PakiTV
and Veerendra Rishi of Kingfisher Beer. It was, incidentally, his father, Indian diplomat Dr W.R.Rishi, who
proposed during 1971 lst World Romani Congress that our national flag be henceforth embossed with the red
wheel, or Ashok Chakra, similar to that on the Indian flag.
for me was the sight of actor Michael Collins, over here from Dublin shoveling away an earth barrier at Five Acre Farm.
Along with thirty others, including Thames Valley Gypsy Asso. and Dublin Corporation councillor Mick Rafferty, he was
there to make the point that Basildon Council is hell-
What about the right of landowners to access onto their own property? “Don't Come Back” the local headlines ran.
But on Saturday we were back and, at least in gesture, chipping away at the barriers of prejudice and far-
In the afternoon, Collins was helding all spellbound with his one-
Opening the night before alongside ensemble Romani Rad at the Brentwood Theatre, this agitprop-
forty years of life, love and the fight for liberty, is certainly winning new converts and supporters.
They signed up in droves at Laindon, despite or perhaps because of the riot police parked outside the hall. It made you feel
like you were in Birmingham Alabama in the l960s, rather than Basildon Essex in the here and now.
Comforting words came from the Irish Embassy representative Alma Ni Choigligh who assured us that Ambassador
O Ceallaigh had lately become well aware of the plight of Travellers and what was happening to them in darkest Essex.
Quote of an eventful week must be that of Father John Glynn, who stands to lose many parishioners. In an 8 April article
in the influential Economist magazine entitled The Siege of Dale Farm he says: "I'll be up there at the site if they evict the
Traveller's. And my poster will say This is ethnic-
Meanwhile, Father Glynn took away with him for presentation shortly to council leader Malcolm Buckley a world-
petition backed by Italian-
plan to destroy some 120 homes at Dale Farm and nearby Five Five Acre Farm.
The 8th April euphoria continued into the night with an after show party at Dale Farm, which brought together Traveller's,
Roma and a young Pakistani contingent from the newly formed Punjabi Human Rights Monitoring Team, which like several
other groups, including Corin Redgrave's Peace & Progress Party, are ready to be there should the bulldozers be sent in.
The Red Wheels Festival was largely sponsored by the Traveller's Aid Trust and the post-
and Veerendra Rishi of Kingfisher Beer. It was, incidentally, his father, Indian diplomat Dr W.R.Rishi, who
proposed during 1971 lst World Romani Congress that our national flag be henceforth embossed with the red
wheel, or Ashok Chakra, similar to that on the Indian flag.
ROMA NATION DAY: DIG AT BARRIERS OF RACISM By Grattan Puxon
