There is “troublingly persistent” levels of discrimination against Gypsy, Roma and Travellers (GRT) in the UK, an expert group from Europe’s leading human rights body has found.
The Council of Europe committee said the GRT community suffer “shocking” amounts of bullying in the education system, prejudiced reporting in the media and threats to their legal status and rights, including as a result of recent legislative changes.
In an opinion, published on Thursday, it says: “The definition of ‘Gypsy’ for planning purposes excludes those who have permanently ceased travelling. This means that ethnic Gypsy and Travellers may be denied their status as a ‘Gypsy’ [sic].
“There is also a systematic shortage of sites resulting either from local authority unwillingness, opposition from local residents, and this new definition reducing the number of sites required in needs assessments.
“Moreover, the authorities have criminalised trespass with a vehicle in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (PCSCA). This act appears to the minority as a criminalisation of the option of last resort of Gypsies and Travellers in England, and it is difficult for the minority itself to discern the difference between that and forced assimilation. The fear this act has sparked among the minority is profound.”
As well as the PCSCA, the advisory committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities says other legislative changes and proposals raised concerns including the Nationality and Borders Act, which allows for citizenship to be stripped without notice, and threats to the Human Rights Act.
The committee also noted strong increases in hate crime targeting other minorities, “notably the Jewish and Muslim communities”, and called for greater support for linguistic minorities including Cornish.
Its recommendations included Cornish being on the national curriculum and adequate funding being made available to Cornish organisations providing minority language education, teacher training or developing educational materials in the language.
It also said there should be a comprehensive strategy for England and Northern Ireland to tackle “antigypsyism” to “combat the widely held prejudices against this minority”.
The committee said the pandemic, rising costs of living and the political climate – including the use of “human rights for party-political ends” – had seriously affected societal cohesion and human rights. But it praised targeted support for minorities in the Covid-19 vaccination drive, based on mortality inequalities.
The UK – a founder member of the Council of Europe, which oversees the European court of human rights – ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities which is legally binding under international law, in 1998. The last UK opinion was published in 2017.
The government has been approached for comment.
