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Today's protest marks International Roma and Traveller Day (file photo). Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland
Dublin

Protest planned to mark International Roma and Traveller Day

The protest aims to highlight the “outspoken and negative” comments that have been made about Travellers in recent months.

TRAVELLERS AND ROMA are to protest in Dublin today to mark International Roma and Traveller Day.

The midday protest is to take place outside the European Commission building on Dublin’s Dawson Street.

Kathleen Sherlock from Mincéirs Whiden, Ireland’s Traveller-only forum, told TheJournal.ie that they want Travellers to be recognised as an ethic minority. The protest also aims to shine on a light on recent comments that have been made about Travellers.

“Over the last six months to a year there’s been a lot of outspoken and negative comments made by people in very strong positions about tavellers, from councillors to judges,” Sherlock said. “This really isn’t who travellers are.”

Co-Director of Pavee Point, Martin Collins, said that both groups continued to “experience widespread poverty, racism and discrimination across Europe.”

Sherlock said that members of the Roma community would also be joining in today’s protest, and was hopeful that up to 400 people would be in attendance.

Read: Pavee Point: Why these 6 Traveller myths are untrue >

More: Martin ‘very annoyed’ by Fianna Fáil councillor’s call to ‘segregate’ Travellers >

Column: Denying Traveller ethnicity makes Ireland a rogue state >

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