Thank you for your information Carol.
Have you spent time living with these people?
Perhaps it is wrong to judge or even try to understand a collective
of people as the each person has their own identity, thoughts and outlook on life.
Brian I am not sure if people are contented
whilst liiving on almost nothing.
The world and the people in have changed and will keep on changing.
Gypsys change just like everyone else.
My point....I want to know more from all points of view.
Not convinced on the details from history or from the police.
Barbara, I have no idea what your point is. It is totally of the track about the centuries long persecution of travelling people based on mainly ignorance and superstition - plus profound distrust of people who often appear to be content to live on almost nothing.
Carol I am agreeing with you.
I am never sure of what a policeman tells men here in France...OR ANYWHERE.
They often get things wrong and sometimes they are not too interested in their work.
But we all obsorbe various compositions of info and then calculate an equasion in our
brain. Almost every time I had been broken into in London I did not come face to face with
the identity of the invader. The police would suggest that it was a junkie scampering for a few
20 pound notes.On one occassion my neighbour chased a bleeding robber from the restaurant to
Holland Road hoping to join forces with a police officer. On another occasion it was the police who
broke down my front door ( and took days to have it repaired ) but this yet another episode of my
exsperiences of life in London.
2 years ago my identity was stolen and my card details were used in London to purchase hair extensions a night in a hotel and mailorder kiddies designer clothes. My card never left my handbag but I had booked 2 London HOTELS with details of my card given on the tel.
I had persuaded the Salon to send me pics of the girl who had enjoyed the hair extension spree of 1.000
pounds. The police in UK WERE not interested in any of my facts and relevations....they announced that
they did not have the recources to do anything about the situation. HSBC shared the lack of interest.
Yes I did get my money back.
But it was not just about money.
There is that matter of security and trust.
If it is not found within the foundations of law and order and within the banking
system...where is it to be found?
Sorry, yes I have strayed a little ...perhaps like everyone searching for the answer.
A VERY old saying is...of course ...there is good and bad in everyone.
Carol, it is partly a try to touch consciences a little since the subject has been largely ignored in terms of comments to the story on news channels, news sites and online newspapers. I remember when I arrived in London aged seven that the two people who befriended me first were Mirza Najeeba, a Pakistani girl, and Jane Penfold a 'gypsy' girl. Most of the other children took months and some never to thaw and accept me. I was different although perfectly well one of 'them'. I used to go into the camp and knew all the Roma, experienced a lot of kindness and when they were moved on to build on the land never forgot them. I never ignore Roma when they approach me although I am as likely to talk to them as give them money if they are begging. But I do that if they look tired and hungry.
yes that all sounds logical.
But sadly logic does not enter in when you have been burgled.
Barbara, that is the solution to so many explained crimes, although there is always the possibility that criminals take advantage of 'gypsies' being in the vicinity and the police know it, they are blamed anyway. The same goes for English Didcoys, Scots Tinkers and Irish Pavee, then the police feel it is OK not to pursue the case - unsolved, probably gypsies. It is as easy as that and so another few centuires of mistrust are rolled out...
You wrote that Brian with great compassion and brought us the facts.
You always have the facts and know how to project them.
Sadly we have waves of crime in our area and the people who
brake into our properties are proffessional opportunists who take
very little with them but leave us ....the victims feeling insecure.
It happened to us late Aug when the vines are tended by the vendage
extras.
There was added stress because the rogues had stolen silly things from
a clients bedroom....after breaking the lock, of course.
The police said "Gypsys" To this ....
You can say persecution...or you could say that we are looking for answers in a world
where trust does not roam freely.
Where there are roaming communities there are fears.