Travellers move in on Kingston recreation ground (From Surrey Comet)
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Travellers move in on Kingston recreation ground
10:07am Tuesday 19th June 2012 in Top stories By David Lindsell, Assistant Editor
Travellers who pitched their caravans on a recreation ground in Kingston say they want to stay for a week.
Travellers who pitched their caravans on a recreation ground in Kingston say they want to stay for a week.
Five caravans arrived on the Fairfield yesterday after driving in through a gap in fencing.
Martin Murphy, 37, who shares a caravan with his wife and five children, said they had nowhere else to go.
He said: "We've got no rights in this country. They haven't provided nothing.
"The council has got no respect for the travelling community."
Mr Murphy said the council had shut off the gap in fencing with a council pick-up truck, trapping them in the Fairfield.
He said: "The council came down here yesterday with six or seven police.
"They were very upset that we were in here.
"We guaranteed them there weren't more caravans coming.
"They didn't believe that so they blocked that gate with the pick up truck.
"We asked them if there was any permanent place they could put us with toilets and stuff like that and they couldn't help us at all.
"We asked them to stay for a week and they said they are taking legal procedures to take us to court."
His wife, who declined to give her name, said they had spent last night in the car park of Hampton Court station.
She said: "A lot of people have been really pleased to see us."
One woman walking her dog who declined to be named said: "It's not OK. I walk here every day with my dog. I feel sorry for the people who live opposite. They have got no respect."
James Anning, 43, a landscaper who lives in Fairfield West, said: "I assumed it was just we were having a fair. It is horrendous.
"They are just not meant to be here. I can understand they have got to go somewhere."
But Alanda Thompson, of Kingston Road, who used to live on a boat, said: "A few people have come up to moan about it. They aren't going to hurt anyone are they?"
What do you think? Leave a comment below or email David Lindsell on dlindsell@london.newsquest.co.uk
Comments(29)
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
12:22pm Tue 19 Jun 12
richarddonnelly
says...
12:59pm Tue 19 Jun 12
DB
says...
1:17pm Tue 19 Jun 12
It sounds as though Kingston council have taken the right approach - Fairfield is a massive area and if it were even half filled it would doubtless lead to a crime epidemic in that area.
xman007
says...
3:01pm Tue 19 Jun 12
DB
says...
3:48pm Tue 19 Jun 12
The amount of rules which we are forced to live by these days is ridiculous, but they are there for a reason.
If even 0.1% of the population of the borough started acting like these people, there would be absolute chaos, but for some reason the council have to give them extra breathing space purely because they are travellers.
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
4:31pm Tue 19 Jun 12
DB wrote:"Doubtless"??
This is bad news for those living in the direct vicinity as well as those who use this area for recreation.
It sounds as though Kingston council have taken the right approach - Fairfield is a massive area and if it were even half filled it would doubtless lead to a crime epidemic in that area.
Will you:
a) provide evidence to justify that?
b) withdraw it? or
c) admit you are a prejudiced bigot?
xman007
says...
4:43pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
4:46pm Tue 19 Jun 12
You'd have been much better selecting option C.
xman007
says...
4:56pm Tue 19 Jun 12
DB
says...
4:58pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece wrote:None of the above.
DB wrote: This is bad news for those living in the direct vicinity as well as those who use this area for recreation. It sounds as though Kingston council have taken the right approach - Fairfield is a massive area and if it were even half filled it would doubtless lead to a crime epidemic in that area."Doubtless"?? Will you: a) provide evidence to justify that? b) withdraw it? or c) admit you are a prejudiced bigot?
If the small amount of travellers that are there at the moment do leave within a week or so, I am sure that there will not be any trouble or crime, but if the group gets larger and stays longer, it will happen.
I don't understand why you would think that a group of people who unlawfully take over a public place would then just want to live there in a totally law-abiding manner. It just doesn't make any sense.
DB
says...
5:10pm Tue 19 Jun 12
xman007 wrote:It is all subjective. I personally find the other side of this argument indefensible, but it is obviously valid to some.
That is a subjective view. The space is there for everyone and now there are a load of vans on it in the way of local football. I note you have avoided my last point.
I don't think that you will get a reply on your second point. 'Prince Philip of Greece' has become confused between the two of us, I think, probably because he can't believe there are two people with such 'extreme' views.
Grumpy CJ
says...
8:03am Wed 20 Jun 12
Give it time and they'll be breaking down fences and others will join them.
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:22am Wed 20 Jun 12
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
wally mcdonald
says...
5:21pm Wed 20 Jun 12
Bippity
says...
6:09pm Thu 21 Jun 12
Poor old Prince Philip of Greece, Kingston's own Wolfy Smith. His hoped-for racist tirade never materialised; just a few mildly-phrased objections.
Just for the record, comrade, the park is a public space used by people of all ethnicities and incomes (getting from fresh air, taking exercise, walking the dog, playing footie etc.).
It's neither fair nor sensitive to the needs of local residents for others to occupy it like this. Just as we'd object strongly to a property developer buying the park and putting up luxury flats, so too do we object less strongly to this temporary and partial occupation of public space.
It's a fairly simple point but one I suspect you have neither the empathy nor the intelligence (quoting Pastor Niemöller - wtf!) to grasp.
OhThisBloodyPC
says...
2:25pm Fri 22 Jun 12
Do you think objecting to some white men, in white vans, breaking the law and parking on a public space, is really the equivalent of the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany?
We all paid for the upkeep of that space. (Well, not you. I imagine you're either a student or some other kind of kept creature. Either mummy and daddy or the state are providing the shelter from under which you choose to sneer at society.)
Those white van drivers are breaking the law. The very same laws that are designed to protect the vulnerable in society and maintain social cohesion.
They've flouted the very legal framework that helps to protect people like you. We're paying for your upkeep, not law breaking white van men.
You should remember that, if you ever get a job and start contributing to society.
Don't compare everyone who challenges your naive assumptions to the Nazis. If you get out a bit more, you might find that society is a bit more complex than that.
RMcGeddon
says...
8:34pm Fri 22 Jun 12
kipedia.org/wiki/Dal
e_Farm
What on Earth has the Council done about this ? Precisely nothing is my guess; my sincere hope is that we do not get a 'Dale Farm' here in Kingston.
Basildon Council taxpayers ended up paying £MILLIONS to evict these illegal occupants, not to mention the blight on the environment, the disruption and damage the travellers caused before they had to comply with the Law.
Will Kingston Council act ? Don't hold your breath.
RMcGeddon
says...
8:35pm Fri 22 Jun 12
kipedia.org/wiki/Dal
e_Farm
What on Earth has the Council done about this ? Precisely nothing is my guess; my sincere hope is that we do not get a 'Dale Farm' here in Kingston.
Basildon Council taxpayers ended up paying £MILLIONS to evict these illegal occupants, not to mention the blight on the environment, the disruption and damage the travellers caused before they had to comply with the Law.
Will Kingston Council act ? Don't hold your breath.
UKIP Surbiton
says...
12:04pm Sat 23 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:25am Tue 26 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:36am Tue 26 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:37am Tue 26 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece
says...
9:40am Tue 26 Jun 12
I agree "the park is a public space used by people of all ethnicities and incomes (getting from fresh air, taking exercise, walking the dog, playing footie etc)" etc. I represent only one ethnicity but I did walk my dog there on Sunday.
Cosmic Sunset
says...
1:18pm Tue 26 Jun 12
"Council officers visited the site immediately and asked the travellers to remove their vehicles from the Fairfield, which they refused to do. The Police attended and also asked the travellers to remove their vehicles. The travellers again refused, citing that they had a pregnant woman on site and two children with measles."
I never knew that expectant mothers were unable to be moved by motor vehicle! Goodness knows what folk must do when they go into labour and need to get to the maternity ward. Also, how did she get there in the first place then? Unless she has only become pregnant since they arrived.
OhThisBloodyPC
says...
1:42pm Tue 26 Jun 12
First they accused us of racism, and I said nothing, because I'm not a racist.
Then they accused me of misogyny, and I said nothing, because I can't disprove a negative
Then they said I was infanticidal, and I said nothing, because I didn't understand the charges
Finally, they came for me, and there was no one to speak to me. So I bought myself a white caravan and parked on your lawn.
OhThisBloodyPC
says...
1:42pm Tue 26 Jun 12
First they accused us of racism, and I said nothing, because I'm not a racist.
Then they accused me of misogyny, and I said nothing, because I can't disprove a negative
Then they said I was infanticidal, and I said nothing, because I didn't understand the charges
Finally, they came for me, and there was no one to speak to me. So I bought myself a white caravan and parked on your lawn.
OhThisBloodyPC
says...
1:55pm Tue 26 Jun 12
Prince Philip of Greece wrote:Prince Philip of Greece,
@OhThisBloodyPC - sorry to disappoint you and your prejudices. I am 47 and have a steady job, but thank you for your frothing concern.
I'm delighted you have a steady job.
I hope your employer is happy with you using the internet when you should be working. Otherwise, you're cheating your employer (let me guess - would it be the council?)
I can go online without cheating anyone because I'm self employed. Which is an unsteady job. But I'm not asking other people to bail me out when I'm not working.
Toodle pip!
OhThisBloodyPC
says...
2:49pm Tue 26 Jun 12
This town has never recovered from the sustained smear that was The Good Life. that awful shows knocked tens of thousands off property prices, because nobody wanted to live here.
Now these travellers are applying the coup de grace.
Were they went by Penelope Keith?
I feel sorry for anyone who wants to sell their house in the next few months. Or years. You know how these things drag on.
Well done Kingston Council.
helen59 says...
12:10pm Tue 19 Jun 12