Thread by @GypsyTravellers

This evening we're live tweeting developments from the parliamentary debate on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, in particular in relation to the potential impacts of proposed new laws to imprison, fine and remove the homes of Gypsy, Traveller and nomadic people.

The Home Secretary in her opening remarks states that she intends to back and support the police with the new bill - it is very clear that is not the case as most police don't want stronger powers for roadside camps and say more sites are needed:
gypsy-traveller.org/news/police-re…

The Home Secretary has repeatedly said "the punishment must fit the crime". Yet, the bill contains plans to imprison Gypsy, Traveller and nomadic people, fine them and remove their homes for the 'crime' of having nowhere to legally stop.

The Home Secretary says that we have a duty to 'protect our children' and yet this bill wishes to criminalise Gypsy and Traveller families who have no place to live, possibly giving parents a prison sentence.

The Home Secretary brings up the unauthorised encampment element of the bill by sharing the commitment made in the Conservative manifesto to make it a criminal offence to 'live in a vehicle on land without permission and give police powers to seize vehicles if necessary.'

.@pritipatel identifies that in a public consultation the rights of Gypsies and Travellers were considered, yet the Govt response to the consultation on strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments...

...shows that members of the public, in great numbers, expressed serious concerns about the discriminatory nature of the bill on Gypsies and Travellers. gov.uk/government/con…

We thank @NickTorfaen MP for making reference to the Lammy Report, released in 2017 which made several positive recommendations relating to reducing inequalities for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers. gypsy-traveller.org/news/ffts-resp…

Thanks again to @NickTorfaen for sharing our research which found 84% of police responses did not support the criminalisation of trespass.

If police bodies do not see these as necessary measures for roadside camps, why is this a government priority?

Thanks to @AnneeMcLoughlin for highlighting that this Bill will criminalise the way of life for Gypsies and Travellers.

"Gypsies and Travellers are among the most persecuted on these islands, and the most misunderstood."

.@hammersmithandy highlights how this bill will target Gypsies and Travellers, an already marginalised minority, as we saw last week following the news that @Pontins had specific policies to prevent Gypsies and Travellers using their holiday parks.
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

Andy Smith, member of the @APPGGTR, identifies that there are not enough sites or stopping places for Gypsies and Travellers to reside on.

"The Home Secretary may not care about this, but many people do."

Mark Francois MP has shared messages from individuals pleased to see the commitment in the Conservative manifesto regarding action on unauthorised encampments in the bill - but this does not match the public response to the consultation on police powers. gov.uk/government/con…

.@RobertSyms refers to inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers in health and education, but supports the bill.

Gypsies and Travellers, prevented by law from returning to particular locations for 12 months, will have healthcare and education further interrupted.

.@lloyd_rm shares that there are areas of England without room on sites, or without transit sites. It is that, which is the issue which needs to be resolved.

Giving a fine or a prison sentence to an individual stopping temporarily in their vehicle in a layby solves nothing.

Thank you to @KateOsborneMP for highlighting the dangers of criminalising trespass and how this will worsen inequalities faced by Gypsy and Traveller communities and normalise discrimination.

"I shudder at how this Government are drawing on the darkest periods of history by criminalising Gypsy and Traveller communities. It demonstrates that the hostile environment continues to fester in the Home Office and must be called out"

Thank you for speaking up @RachaelMaskell

Now @Stuart4WolvesSW speaks and says unauthorised encampments have caused him more work than anything as an MP, but also mentions he's trying to pause building a Traveller site in his constituency🤔

Stuart, where do you expect Travellers to live and stop in your area?

Next to @KimJohnsonMP:
"Some of the most disturbing clauses attack the lives of Gypsy & Traveller communities.. these proposals are discriminatory & potentially unlawful. The Govt's own consultation.. showed that the majority of police respondents.. think the crackdown is wrong."

.@ElliotColburn talks about how 'frustrating' it was when a roadside camp moved from place to place within his constituency.

Below we've made a map of all public Traveller sites with available pitches. Imagine the frustration of the 1600+ families waiting to access these.

👇👇

And with that, we will be signing off for the night.

We will need your support and solidarity over the coming days. Please watch this space as we will be sharing actions you can take to help stop Government plans to imprison, fine and remove the homes of roadside families.

We are back today to live tweet the second day of the debate in the on the #PolicingBill.

Thank you to Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis who begins todays debate raising concerns about what the bill (which demonises Gypsies and Travellers) means for democracy in the UK.

Absolutely shocked by inflammatory language used by Paul Beresford MP, claiming that the classification of trespass as a civil offence has failed.

There is one failure here, and that is that the Government has not built enough permanent and transit sites.

.@MartinJDocherty says "as the Co-chair to the @APPGGTR I see this misguided, reprehensible attack on the ancient and historic rights of nomadic peoples on these islands.

"It is clear that England's 'green and pleasant lands' are not for the likes of us."

"I'm ashamed to be part of a parliament that seeks to demonising a minority community, and the measures being bought forward for Gypsy and Traveller communities, measures which the police themselves, said they do not wish to see." @stellacreasy

Thank you to @BellRibeiroAddy for highlighting the "demonisation and disproportionate impact [of the Bill] on Gypsy and Traveller communities."

"This draconian legislation will not make us safer."

"This bill moves to criminalise Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities"
Thank you for standing with Gypsies and Travellers, @NadiaWhittomeMP.

.@Matt_VickersMP claims that the proposals in the bill are "giving the police powers they need to do the job".

We submitted freedom of information requests to police bodies in England. Our research found that the police did not want these powers. 👇

gypsy-traveller.org/wp-content/upl…

Next from the House of Commons, @SarahOwen_ highlights her support for some elements of the Bill, but also highlights concerns that:
"[The Bill] also contains dangerously discriminatory measures for Traveller communities."

Thank you to @IanByrneMP for these powerful words:

"Within this Bill, there are measures that excessively impact Gypsy and Traveller communities and that the Director of @libertyhq has said that if enacted would expose already marginalised communities" (1/2)

"..to profiling and disproportionate police powers. The communities may face increased police enforcement through the criminalisation of trespass. This Bill, Madame Deputy Speaker, must be voted down." (2/2)

Thanks to @jamesmurray_ldn for standing with Gypsies and Travellers:
"There are measures within the Bill that I and other members on this side of the house would welcome, but the way that it targets Gypsies, Travellers and Roma... means that it is something we must oppose."

Next to @amessd_southend who speaks of vandalism, crime and anti-social behaviour linked to a roadside camp in his constituency. A multitude of laws already exist to protect against these. The #PoliceBill will seek to criminalise all roadside Travellers - regardless of behaviour.

"We should also be concerned about the impact of this Bill on Gypsy and Traveller communities. These are some of the most marginalised and discriminated people in our country and also often the victims of social exclusion, racial profiling and police brutality.." @MickWhitleyMP

Cont. "But instead of using this Bill as an opportunity to honour commitments to rooting out racial prejudice in all its forms, the Government has instead launched an attack on the very way of life of many Roma and Travellers by criminalising trespass.."

Cont. "The Home Office says this bill is about making communities safer, but this bill will in fact leave GRT communities far less safe, more at risk of criminal prosecution and of having their homes and property confiscated."

Cont. "Will the Home Secretary now listen to the voices of police officers who overwhelmingly oppose these outline measures and favour adequate site provision as a means of dealing with unauthorised encampments? I will be voting against Madame Speaker."

Thank you to @BethWinterMP for standing up for the rights of Gypsies and Travellers in today's parliamentary debate and highlighting the inequalities and hardships already faced by Gypsy and Traveller people.

Next we hear from @RichardGrahamUK supporting imprisoning people living on roadside camps. Yet, you'll see from the diagram below, there isn't an available pitch for Travellers for many miles from the MP's constituency which is marked with a red star:

Thank you @johnmcdonnellMP for your words of solidarity with the Traveller community this evening and for highlighting the threat it poses to people's homes.

"I urge colleagues to wake up to the threat of this Bill and to vote against to defeat it at every stage of its passage."

Thank you to @_OliviaBlake for your words:

"If the Government was serious about addressing the issue of unauthorised encampments, they'd tackle the real problem - the shortage of places where it is permitted to stop and reside."

As part of the closing remarks, @DavidLammy says:

"Measures in the Bill will further compound the inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers.. those found guilty of trespass in this Bill could receive a higher sentence than someone convicted of stalking."

Next, @DavidLammy says,

"Police forces do not even support the Government's criminalisation of trespass. The National Chief Police Council and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said that trespass is a civil offence and our view is that it should remain so."

Finally @DavidLammy says:

"Why is this Government determined to lock up Gypsies and Travellers even against its own polices' advice?"

.@RobertBuckland, in his final remarks says:

"This is about the balance of the rights of Traveller communities to use authorised encampments and enjoy the lifestyle they have chosen and the rights of householders not to have their communities spoiled." (1/2)

Yet, as highlighted throughout the debate and below, there are not enough places to go and the the #PoliceBill threatens to criminalise all nomadic Gypsies and Travellers, not only the minority who engage in anti-social behaviour. (2/2)

We wait as MPs vote now.

Ayes: 359
Noes: 263

The bill passes second reading and now moves to committee stages.

We need your help to stop roadside families being jailed, fined and having their homes removed.

Tomorrow we'll launch a tool for writing to your MP, to urge them to influence the Bill at committee stages.

Please retweet and follow so we can reach as many people as we can.

Thank you for following the events in parliament tonight. Our live tweeting will end here for today.