Travellers ‘demonised’ following Nally case

TRAVELLERS have been demonised and condemned due to the fallout from the sentencing of a Co Mayo farmer, it was claimed yesterday.

Martin Collins, assistant director of Pavee Point Travellers Centre, said the past two weeks had set the work of the community back five years.

“We as a community have endured a lot over the last couple of weeks. I would regard there has been a systematic targeted attack on us. We have been vilified, demonised and condemned by some sections of the media, and indeed by some sections of the public and by some politicians,” he said.

Traveller organisations said the community had been living in fear since Mayo farmer Padraig Nally was jailed for six years for the manslaughter of Traveller John Ward.

The 61-year-old farmer shot Mr Ward twice and beat him with a stick 20 times when he found him trespassing in his farmyard in October last year.

Mr Collins said: “We are also very saddened to see some politicians have exploited the Nally/Ward situation for their own political gain, which is very short-sighted, it’s cheap and it is quite dangerous.

Three organisations - the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM), Pavee Point Travellers Centre and the National Traveller Women’s Forum - said they were equally disappointed by politicians who had stayed silent on the issue.

Mr Collins said he was disappointed with Fine Gael for calling for the legislation to be amended.

Mr Collins said he had been led to believe the law as it stood was sufficient and allowed property owners to defend their land and homes.

“It does allow for reasonable force. I don’t think anyone can seriously suggest that in the context of the Nally/Ward situation that reasonable force was used. It wasn’t reasonable force, it was excessive force and in our view it merited a much more serious conviction,” said Mr Collins, adding that Traveller associations had condemned anti-social behaviour.

“Criminal activity and anti-social behaviour is not unique or peculiar to any community. It permeates society, it permeates all social classes,” he said.

He said people must not forget there are crimes perpetrated against Travellers.

“Only last year a Traveller family were sprayed with slurry by a farmer - that got no media coverage, or hardly any, nobody made a big deal about that,” he said.

The groups welcomed the cancellation of a planned national rally in support of the farmer. Mr Collins said the GAA and the Irish Farmers’ Association did not endorse the rally but it was worrying that it was even on their agenda for consideration.