Not in my back yard: control of Irish Travellers by paramilitaries and vigilantes across the island of Ireland

Abstract

This article concerns control of Irish Travellers by paramilitaries and vigilantes. The main issues explored here relate to theories of deviance and debates as to the power of the ‘established’ over those regarded as outsiders. The topic of dangerisation is also considered. Across the island of Ireland, the accommodation needs of Irish Travellers have been largely overlooked by both governments. Amidst a wholesale failure to provide adequate accommodation, including transient sites which would permit nomadic Irish Travellers to continue to be so, harsh anti-trespass laws have recently been sanctioned. However, despite these recent anti-trespass laws and no doubt due to the failure to provide accommodation, across the island illegal encampments remain common. Thus, a failure of the public system is evident. As such, this article demonstrates how, in turn, this failure may encourage vigilantes to adopt self-help private violence as moral action against ‘deviant’ Travellers, whilst self-justifying their actions in comparison to the violence exhibited by, and, that inherent to, state sanctioned law.

Keywords:

• law’s violence
• Irish Travellers
• paramilitaries
• vigilantes
• deviance
• Gypsies

Acknowledgement

With gratitude to Dr Lyndsey Harris and Dr Jack Fawbert for comments on early and late copies of this work, respectively. Special thanks also to the reviewers at Contemporary Justice Review. Thanks also to the Department of Education and Learning for Northern Ireland who funded this research for 3 years.

Notes

1. As there are no physical borders between the two jurisdictions, the findings are relevant to all Travellers whether residing in, resorting to, or contemplating visiting Northern Ireland.

2. The EU Race Discrimination Directive (June 2000) has the purpose of harmonizing ‘the level of protection against race discrimination across the EU. It guarantees a minimum standard of legal protection for individuals against discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race and ensures a right of redress for all individuals who have been the victims of such discrimination. It covers the fields of employment and training, social protection and social security, social advantages, education, access to goods and services and membership of a workers’, or employers’ organisation’ (Race Discrimination Directive, 1.1).

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/fundamental_rights/pdf/legisln/2000_43_en.pdf

3. According to a range of authors the Traveller Economy (such as tinsmith work) that once allowed Travellers to maintain specific ethnic boundaries, permitting them to be relatively independent from sedentary society, is now coming to an end.

4. The case of Martin McDonagh and Patrick Stokes against the respondent Event 22 Limited, the ECNI (2006).

5. Travellers in Ireland: An Examination of Discrimination and Racism, NCCRI website, http://www.nccri.ie/travellr.html (Accessed: 20/03/07).

6. A derogatory term for Catholics.