ERRC Joins International Call to Halt Forced Eviction of Dale Farm

14 September 2011

Budapest, 14 September 2011: Today, the ERRC wrote a letter to U.K. authorities, urging them to halt the imminent forced eviction of Dale Farm, in Essex County. Despite the fact that they own the land and have made repeated attempts to legalise their residences, the 89 Irish Traveller and English Gypsy families are threatened with eviction on 19 September. In advance of this eviction, they have not been offered adequate alternative housing. Their eviction, which threatens their access to medical care and education and places them at greater risk of homelessness, raises concerns under international law.

Robert Kushen, Executive Director of the ERRC, noted that “Evictions won’t resolve this situation for the Basildon Borough Council; at best, evictions will only postpone the accommodation challenges and create added hardships for the Travellers and Gypsies who are evicted. Roma evicted from their homes in Romania, France, Italy and elsewhere don’t disappear; they try to establish a home wherever they can. The U.K. authorities should aim for a solution that allows families to stay in their homes at Dale Farm.”

The ERRC has encouraged local authorities to refrain from evicting any of the residents of Dale Farm and called for negotiations to be reopened, to find a solution that protects the human rights of the residents.

For further information contact:

Sinan Gökçen
ERRC Media and Communications Officer
sinan.gokcen@errc.org
+36.30.500.1324