A student from De Montfort University who is a member of the Gypsy and Traveller Community has spoken of her fears that a new Bill going through Parliament could destroy a traditional way of life that has been part of the fabric of the UK for more than a thousand years.
Romany Gypsy Jem Leveridge, who has just completed her second year studying Law at DMU, lives with her family in a privately-owned site in Norfolk.
She is the first in her family to go to university and wants to eventually join the police, to try to better represent her community and improve relations with law enforcers.
As June marks Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, Jem has today spoken out about the threat posed by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 which is currently making its way through Parliament.
She says her community is one of the most discriminated-against groups in the UK and the Bill is a threat to their way of life.
And she has called on people to take this month to educate themselves about people’s rights to a nomadic way of life.
Jem says now is the ideal time to talk about the generations of her family who have fought for the freedom to roam and during this month, all of society should take the time to educate themselves about people’s rights to a nomadic way of life.
The family of Jemima E Leveridge, wife of war hero Cornelius Leveridge
She also wants students and staff to sign a petition against the section of the Bill that could bring in new laws meaning people who live on roadside camps might face time in prison, a £2,500 fine or their home being taken from them.
Although the Government says this part of the Bill is to target a minority who engage in anti-social behaviour on roadside camps, the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community say it is open to interpretation and likely to impact on anyone who lives a nomadic life.
Jem said: “The issue as I see it is that the Government and local councillors are not building any Gypsy and Traveller sites and now they are saying if you ride your wagons or trailers on the road you could face a fine or have your wagon or trailer taken off you. That would leave someone homeless.
“It is like the Government is saying ‘get in a house and conform or get out’. Our communities date back to the Anglo-Saxon times but we feel that modern society just does not want us.
“I live on a traveller site myself and the abuse I have had to put up with has left me sometimes wishing I was not there anymore. I have been called an animal and I feel so many people refuse to see our side of the story. How do you think this makes my family feel?
Janet Leveridge with bow top wagon in 1998
“Traveller children are abused at school and there seems to be no comeback from teachers. There are public establishments that put up notices banning us. That is segregation. But it seems law enforcers do not take any action against it. I do not know anyone in my community who has not faced persecution, discrimination and racism.
“We have been around since Anglo-Saxon times but this is still going on in the 21st century.”
Jem says going through past generations her family have contributed much to the UK. Her grandad fought in Burma in World War Two and her great-grandad fought in the Battle of the Somme. While 360,000 UK travellers sacrificed their lives in the wars. Her immediate family have also run awareness courses for law enforcers around the country.
World War veterans are treated as war heroes but her family was told they had to pay for her grandad’s medals because Gypsies and Travellers were not recognised.
Great grandfather Cornelius Leveridge in military uniform
A campaign in the Eastern Daily Press, the regional newspaper for Norfolk, eventually turned the decision and Jem’s grandad’s medals were gifted to her family by the War Office.
Jem says there is a constant stream of bad publicity surrounding Gyspy, Roma and Traveller Communities as the media react ‘to the 0.1 per cent’ who may cause problems. “but you get good and bad in every society”, Jem says. “If you have a community stopping in your area go up to them and speak to them. You could not meet nicer people.”
“People love to romanticise about the wagons and the horses and the fairs around the country but when it comes to seeing this as our way of life, many just do not care.”
John and Leroy Leveridge with Breezy the dog in 1999
Jem has urged people to find out more about her community.
“Generations of my family have paved the way for the life that I live now, and it will feel like an injustice to them and their memory if we allow our way of life to die out.
“People have asked me, ‘when is the right time to call for change?’. The answer is now. Society needs to wake up and I won’t stop pushing for change.”
If you would like to read more about the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Awareness Month you can click here
To read more about the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 and the concerns about its effects on travelling click here
Posted on Friday 18 June 2021