TRAVELLERS OF DALE FARM – THE SCHOOL AS BATTLEGROUND

The School as Battleground
The following 6 blogs were written following a visit to the Dale Farm Travellers’ site in England, in February 2008. I spent several days at Dale Farm with Grattan Puxon, Secretary of the Dale Farm Housing Association, and James Dasinger, an AP Peace Fellow volunteering with the Association. The blogs should be [...]

The Eyesore

Perhaps Dale Farm comes down to this: 500 newcomers could easily be absorbed in a city, but their presence is bound to be noticed in the countryside.
Still, Dale Farm is tucked away behind hedges and barely visible, even to their neighbors. Can something be an “eyesore” if there’s no-one around to see it?
Dale Farm lies [...]

Facts and Figures

We enter Dale Farm under a gate of barbed wire, past a large banner which reads “Save Dale Farm.” Empty gas cylinders lie around. Kids amble. Women collect washing, and move between caravans and chalets.
This is the place that was described as “the most infamous unauthorized Traveller site in the country” by an eminent independent [...]

The Gentle Warrior

Our friend Grattan belongs in a long and honorable line of non-violent resistors. He cannot be intimidated. If tanks were coming up the main street of Colchester, Grattan would be the one to step out and face them down.

Why is he so motivated? When we first heard of him in America, we assumed he was [...]

A Humanitarian Crisis?

Our first call in Colchester is to Grattan Puxon, the indefatigable supporter of the Dale Farm Travellers, who lives just opposite our hotel.
Grattan, who is a young 70 year-old, makes his way into Dale Farm by train and bus at least once a week to give advice and raise morale. He is also behind many [...]