Category: Romany

Drive2Survive

The police bill is racist and will make Travelling illegal… even if you’re in a house. Think about that. A law has been made to eradicate us, specifically our way of life. This is not Nazi Germany this is Tory UK.

“Drive to Survive is a coalition of Romany Gypsy, Irish Traveller, nomadic activists, and community organizations who are determined to use peaceful protest and civil disobedience to highlight this threat to the freedoms of all people.

If we join together we can make Priti Patel and Boris Johnson think again about their intention to eradicate a way of life that is many hundreds of years old.

Throughout the Summer and Autumn of 2021, we need your help to stop this racist attempt to culturally cleanse Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers from the British landscape.” Travellers’ Times July 14, 2021

Campaigners have warned of a ‘summer of discontent’ against the new racist police bill which will “wipe out” Gypsy and Traveller and other nomadic cultures by criminalising trespass with the intent to reside in a vehicle

Travellers’ Times, July 14, 2021

Traditional Gypsies and Traveller culture will be subjected to fines, caravan seizures and even imprisonment. Through the #PolicingBill, the Government is planning to imprison, fine and remove the homes of people stopping roadside. We must come together.

On Saturday 2nd October, 2o21 at Manchester Piccadilly Gardens at 1.00pm, Drive2Survive will be holding a rally at the TORY CONFERENCE. We want Priti Patel and Boris to hear us Gypsies, Roma, Irish Travellers, Scottish, Welsh, Showmen, New travellers, van dwellers, whoever. Please stand with us. We need more than we had in London.

We all suffer the hate, racism n prejudice, not just those on the road. The police don’t want to criminalise trespass, councils don’t want to either. With the Police Bill, they will be forced to seize your trailers homes and fine each family member £2500. If you don’t pay, you will go prison and your abode seized.

We will be holding an authorised encampment space arranged with Manchester Council. Please Contact@Drive2Survive.org.uk for further details or to support.

Donate to the goFundMe online campaign at GoFundMe. 

For more on the Parliament Hill Drive2Survive campaign rally, July 2021, see ‘Drive 2 Survive rally to protest anti-Traveller law ‘makes history’ in Travellers’ Times.

Stop stealing our culture, Romany Gypsy community says

Screen Shot 2020-03-15 at 4.27.46 PMBob Lovell Kamulo is interviewed by Nina Hindmarsh, journalist with New Zealand’s Nelson Mail Newspaper.

Read the entire article and watch the video here at Nelson Mail article.

Speaking of cultural appropriation by The Original Gypsy Fair, he’s said

“being a Gypsy is not a lifestyle, nor an ethos or image to be used for commercial gain.”

Bob Lovell has been attempting to raise awareness over the issue for years, including lobbying the Government to stop businesses from exploiting Gypsy culture for profit.

Government of New Zealand Commerce Minister Kris Faafoi was asked to conduct a legal review to remove the term gypsy from all registered business names. Lovell says he has not responded.

Massey University professor Paul Spoonley, who specialises in race relations, says the New Zealand use of a label such as “gypsy” is troubling.

“Partly because some people use it to denigrate others, while some claim it when they have no right to. Gypsy is the colloquial term for Romany – and it is often used in unthinking ways by many New Zealanders.”

Academic and researcher, Cliff Harvey says

There is no other race for which the “caricaturising, appropriation of cultural icons, or the blatant use of racist terms” is still so widely accepted.

Says, Massey University professor Paul Spoonley:

“They certainly faced explicit racism and discrimination. In New Zealand, with a smaller Romany population, there tends to be a lot more ignorance. I can understand why local Romany get annoyed.”

“To misuse the term Gypsy by non-Roma and make claims based on a lifestyle is a gross misrepresentation of who we are as a race of people, and very misleading to the general public,” Lovell says.

 

 

 

Travellers’ Times Article

Travellers’ Times in the UK has printed a good story on The Original Gypsy Fair and its misuse and theft of Roma/Gypsy identity.

Screen Shot 2018-11-21 at 4.59.48 PM

Stop Stealing our cultural identity say

New Zealand Romani campaigners.

In the Travellers’ Times article, Mike Doherty, the Editor writes:

The campaigners believe that the use of ‘Gypsy’ in ’The Original Gypsy Fair’, a commercial event which is part of the New Zealand van and truck culture circuit – run by businessman Jim Banks – trivialises and appropriates their culture, heritage and identity, and is a form of “romantic racism”.

While Bob Lovell Kamulo has this to say to the New Zealand Government.

We would kindly request the New Zealand government uphold its commitment to defending cultural and race relations, human rights and ethnic diversity with a legal review that removes the language “Gypsy” from all registered business names.”

We thank Travellers’ Times and Mike Doherty for their continued support. We’ll have another update coming soon.

Stop Romany Cultural Appropriation

We’re advocating for Romany rights in New Zealand. I have been alarmed by the way a van culture of hippies – The Original Gypsy Fair has been appropriating our Romany identity for commercial gain. A petition and letter writing campaign is underway.

I’m Bob Lovell Kamulo,

For many years I ran singer/songwriter competitions at New Zealand’s biggest Folk Music Festival. I started and hosted Auckland’s first ever Folk music fortnightly radio program, called the Urban Folk Line through our Free Access radio station. Plus I’ve M.C’d many singer/songwriter concerts

But now that I am an Elder I’m putting my voice to other uses, advocating for Romany rights here in New Zealand. I have been alarmed by the way a van culture of hippies – The Original Gypsy Fair has been appropriating our Romany identity for commercial gain.

Hippie festivals such as this promote false stereotypes about the Romani people. Amanda A.

I have organized a protest to rally support for changing New Zealand’s trademark laws and banning the use of the word “gypsy” by non-Romany. We’re also demanding that New Zealand comply with U.N. Human Rights and recognize New Zealand Romany as an ethnicity.

Other comments from our petitioners:

Our heritage is ours. We have been prosecuted for hundred of years. Let us rise with our culture. Charlie G.

I agree with Bob Lovell – it is a misrepresentation of Romani culture. And at the very least, use of these photographs is in breach of copyright laws. Rebekah H

This is a disgrace – stealing other people’s cultural identity. It must stop. Roseanne M.

Sign the Petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/we-support-robert-lovell-kamulos-complaint