My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty will today lead a march in Manchester against the way youngsters from the Travelling community were treated by police.
Romany Gypsies and Irish Traveller children were greeted by the sight of dozens of officers as they arrived into the city for the Christmas markets last month and were allegedly “forced” back onto trains. The incident has sparked outrage and led for calls for a Home Office investigation. Meanwhile hundreds of members of the Travelling community and beyond are set to pound the pavements of St Peter’s Square this afternoon to make sure their voices are heard.
Greater Manchester Police said they imposed a 48-hour dispersal order on November 23 to “protect public safety by preventing incidents of violence and disorder.”
(Image: Supplied)
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But TV personality, Paddy described scenes reminiscent of “Nazi Germany when all the Jews were put on trains.”
He added: “All that was missing was the Swastikas.”
Videos were posted on social media by young Travellers during the commotion. One can be heard saying: “You’d think we’d killed someone,” as they arrive at Manchester Victoria to swathes of police.
Another showed scenes of chaos with the caption: “POV ur just a chill girl tryna get a Yorkshire pudding rap (sic).”
(Image: Supplied)
One girl, aged 13, who had come from Doncaster, ended up in Grimsby.
Her mother contacted the Manchester Evening News and said her daughter had called while she was being “pushed” onto the train and was “hysterical.”
She said: “She didn’t have a clue where it was going. She was crying and screaming. I could hear the police officers saying ‘we don’t care where you go, just get back on that train and get off now’. I was saying to put the police officers on the phone but I could hear them saying ‘I don’t want to speak to your mother – get on that train’.”
Jonny O’Brien, 26, claimed his 14-year-old sister was ‘bullied’ onto a train to Manchester Airport.
Another video filmed in the city centre appears to show a teenager tackled to the ground by officers after asking: “What have I done wrong?”
(Image: Supplied)
The force confirmed later that they had broken up two fights and at least 40 individual dispersal orders were made telling people to leave town.
The Traveller Movement, a national charity, said the police action was “shocking” and “completely unacceptable” and is considering legal action. Greater Manchester’s deputy mayor, Kate Green has also called for a “full report” from GMP.
And chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, Mary Kelly Foy raised a point of order in the House of Commons and called for a Home Office investigation into the incident.
In a recent video on his social media channels, Paddy called for everyone to support the “peaceful” march which will begin at St Peter’s Square at 3pm today (December 6).
Paddy said: “Why there? It’s the Lord Mayor’s place where he works. Just to let him know who we are and what we are. We are human beings. Bring men, women and children. That’s what it’s all about. Everyone should turn up, even country people should turn up and support us.”
(Image: PA)
He added: “We’re here to walk, to protest for our children…and for their future. Let’s do the walk and the talk to the world, to Britain.”
Paddy said: “We are the only people in the UK who’ve got no rights to nothing. Isn’t that terrible? We can’t even vote.
“Go into a pub – ‘Sorry we can’t serve you?’ Why? ‘Because you are Travellers’. ‘Sorry you can’t book this hall.’ Why? ‘Because you’re a Traveller.’ Sorry we can’t do this funeral?
“Imagine getting knocked back for funerals. No matter what we do, we get knock backs.”
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He added: “Let’s do everything for our rights.
“We want pink, white, yellow, blue, orange, green (people) – it doesn’t make a difference to me, just turn up, yeah.”
The Daily Star asked Greater Manchester Police has been asked what measures they are putting in place ahead of today’s march.
A force spokesperson said: “We are aware of this and facilitate the right to a peaceful protest.”
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