A Member's Story - Hate Crime: my experience

My experience of racism goes as far back as I can remember.

Direct hate from the public for being a Gypsy is something that we felt we just had to put up with. I didn't even know that I was part of a race that was supposed to be a protected ethnicity.

Moving around in our caravan before was never easy, even before I pulled up on some land with my family I got nervous wondering what we might face. Travelling round in big groups created less chance of trouble kicking off and being targeted by the public and other communities. I remember many a times having stones thrown at our trailers and bottles thrown out of cars at me.

Often in my youth we were refused service in to shops and told things like “sorry we don’t want your sort here”.  I can remember going with my brother to a shop to buy sweets and before we got to the counter we were asked to put them back and leave the shop. This left us distraught.

  I can say that in my life I’ve been stereotyped and kicked out of pubs, restaurants and shopping malls to name a few. One of the things that hurt the most was the constant view that I would steal.  I often got accused of being smelly and dirty from locals and the public, even though I dressed well and was always clean. After some time it gets to the point where you start to develop feelings of being ashamed of being a Gypsy and the stigma that’s attached to it.

You get used to the target from others but it hurts inside and the memories stay with you forever.

In the past I felt I could have chosen to be anything else, I probably wouldn't have chosen to be a Gypsy. Relationships with people outside of the community have been difficult, and at times these people have chosen not to introduce me to their family or invite me into their homes.

School was a traumatizing experience. I used to sit at my desk everyday alone and felt like I had the plague. One strength of the community is our family networks. I was at school with my two brothers so we stuck together as a unit to try protect us all from bullying.

My life experiences have made me feel far from trusting people outside the community. I will never forget the time I was told- “when going to get help from services, do not say what you are and they will then help us”.

I now know that what I experienced was all wrong and things can change. From my time at Leeds GATE, I understand mine and the communities’ rights as a protected ethnicity and hate crime in all forms needs to be reported.

If anything is ever going to change, it starts with people standing up for their rights to be treated fairly and equally.

 I believe there is a massive barrier in the sense that most Gypsy and Travellers believe reporting hate crime and incidents and nothing will get done and nothing will change. The reality is there is a huge lack of trust in services and especially the police. There is no place in this world for discrimination and it starts by working with the services you do trust.

Leeds GATE can help you report hate crime and help you with the journey. Whether this is reporting it online, over the phone or a letter, and reporting to the police, the person direct or a service. I am very proud of my culture and my community and together we can make positive change. If you feel you’re are experiencing hate crime then please get in contact with Leeds GATE.

If you have experienced hate crime or hate speech, racism and discrimination, call us on 0113 240 2444.

Our team are here to support you and all Gypsies and Travellers across West Yorkshire.