An Phoblacht/Republican News · Thursday 7 November 2002

Travellers slam end of billboard campaign

BY JOANNE CORCORAN

Traveller groups have slammed the government's decision to end an advertising campaign directed at building bridges between the travelling and settled communities.

'Citizen Traveller' had hoped to create an understanding between the two groups, which have become increasingly hostile to each other in recent years.

The Irish Traveller Movement accused the government of taking hasty action in response to the campaign's recent controversial billboard advertising, which branded government policies as racist.

The Irish Times had claimed on Tuesday that the Irish Traveller Movement and another Traveller group, Pavée Point, were divided over the ending of the campaign, with Pavée Point largely supporting the decision. However, Martin Collins from Pavée Point said that this was inaccurately reported, and that while they had welcomed the review of the campaign, they did not believe the government was justified in abandoning the entire project.

Collins said that the organisation had called for an independent review of the campaign for over a year. He said that the evaluation was necessary as there was a need for change but added that "Traveller groups should have been consulted to agree these changes."

The campaign was government funded, but Minister for Justice, equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, had earlier in the year expressed concerns over the management and direction of the campaign. A review was ordered in September and the Minister declared that its findings proved that the campaign was not being managed successfully.

The department defended its position to end the campaign by asserting that it had failed to achieve its main objective - "healing the divide in Irish societies, that stands between the settled and Traveller communities."

However, its own review report stated that the objective could be seen as unrealistic given the budget available, the campaign's timescale, and the deeply held views of both communities and events which tended to reinforce these viiews.

David Joyce from the Irish Traveller Movement criticised the government's decision: "The report itself is not overly critical, the minister has based his decision on the slightest criticism he has found," he said.

The report also included findings saying that the advertising campaign had highlighted issues of Traveller accommodation and education, had helped to raise Traveller self-esteem and had also made a number of other achievements such as raising the issue of inequality and racism against Travellers in settled areas.

The lack of any alternative strategy has also been met with hostility by the Traveller community.

A spokesperson for Pavée Point said it is crucial that another campaign is started as soon as possible.

"We would ideally be looking for the Traveller campaign to be included in the NO-RACISM campaign," she said. "Money would have to be ring-fenced specifically for the Traveller issue, otherwise we wouldn't get a look in. It's important that people realise that this is actually a racism problem."

A spokesperson for the department said that the minister is considering all options for a replacement scheme, the main focus of which must revolve around the improvement of relationships between the Traveller and the settled communities through the development of mutual understanding and within available Exchequer resources.

The Minister has also said that all interested parties will be consulted before deciding on what arrangements will replace Citizen Traveller.

Travellers groups say that this is laughable, as they weren't consulted about this campaign, and that the government is only interested in its own agenda, not the Travellers'.

Martin Collins said that the situation of Travellers in Ireland today can best be described as one of exclusion and oppression. "There are more Travellers now on the roadside than there were in 1963 when the government first commissioned an Itinerancy Report," he said. "There are at the present time over 1,200 Traveller families still on the roadside with no access to electricity supply, water supply, sanitation or refuse collection."

At the moment, Ireland is the only country in the EU that has not ratified the UN convention on elimination of all forms of racial discrimination. The Travelling community is anxious to see an anti-racism law established as quickly as possible, as well as a continuation of some sort of campaign concerning Travellers needs.