Mother of Down Syndrome child tells of the ‘strain’ of planned eviction

THE mother of a six-month-old boy with Down Syndrome has spoken of the human impact a planned mass eviction of Travellers will have.

Margaret Culligan, a resident of Dale Farm, near Basildon, Essex, was speaking as Travellers and their supporters said that they would continue to fight the planned clearance of Brit- ain’s largest Travellers’ site.

Speaking at a press conference at Dale Farm, the two groups presented a united front and said they were committed to non-violent resistance.

It follows reports that up to 2,000 protesters are set to descend on the site to exploit the situation and to clash with bailiffs and police. The Travellers deny that booby traps have been set.

The groups say hundreds of children and infirm elderly people face losing their homes and will be forced out of the community they have lived in for 10 years.

“My son has Down Syndrome and breathing difficulties, and needs regular medical attention,” said Mrs Culligan at the conference.

“He was born here and this is his home. If this eviction goes ahead it will place an enormous strain on us as a family and his health might deteriorate.

“There are elderly people who also rely on services in the area and who deserve a stable place to live. All we want is to stay in our homes,” she said.

Basildon Council is due to begin eviction proceedings over the coming weeks after a last-ditch High Court injunction bid by the Travellers failed.

Planning for a multi-million pound operation by Essex Police is underway. The police say this will protect Travellers and supporters as well as bailiffs.

The council, on Thursday, issued a final plea for them to leave voluntarily.

It follows a decade-long row over unauthorised properties on the site, which is a former scrap yard.

Resident Kathleen McCarthy said: “We will resist the bailiffs and build barricades but none of us have weapons or anything like that.

“Anybody who is welcomed on this site will resist in a peaceful way.”