Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves: The Portrayal of Romani People in ...

order to leave no doubts the newspaper displayed a picture of a green meadow with a few garbage bags
explaining that those were the last remnants of the group and would be removed by the city council.
The issue of “Gypsies and dirt” is particularly recurrent in British tabloids: On 20 June 2005, The Sun published
an article about a group of Irish Travellers who established a campsite in the small English village of Ilchester
and reportedly turned the life of its inhabitants into hell. 25 The article culminated in the description of the
Travellers using a Roman monument “as a toilet”: The article went on to say “they have littered the Oppidum
fort next door with faeces, done handbrake turns on the cricket field, brawled in pubs and threatened
residents.” 26
Another entry into a quiet village was reported on 9 August 2005 by the East Anglian Times: Under the pointed
headline “Village has to clean up after travellers” the article described how the inhabitants of the village had to
remove huge heaps of waste after the departure of a group of Travellers. A villager, member of the local
Parish Council, was quoted with the following statement: “There is human excreta all over the place, gas
bottles and rubbish. We are a very small community and we feel as though we have been invaded and
polluted.” 27
On 17 August 2005, the Stockport Express displayed an article about a clean-up operation after the departure
of a group of Travellers. Under the title “Is this the worse mess ever left by travellers?”, the article explained
that 12 lorries had been necessary to remove the garbage left by the travellers “including window frames,
rubble and washing machines”. 28 The newspaper quoted a representative of a local association stating: “We
were devastated when we saw the trail of destruction, not least because it is a site of special biological
interest. The mess left was horrendous.” Next to the article a picture showed an overturned washing machine,
several wooden stakes and blankets lying on a green meadow.
Trouble-makers
Another frequent topic are disputes among Roma. These can be disputes within or between families or
disputes between otherwise unrelated individuals. In this context it is frequently suggested that Romani people
are organised along family or kinship lines which is also referred to as the origin of the escalation of the
disputes.
A case in point is an article published by the Sofia News Agency on clashes between Romani groups. The
report did not include much information about the background of the fights, a dispute between an farmer and
his employees over salaries due, but provided an apocalyptic picture of the clashes:
“There was shooting between the two fighting gangs, who also attacked each other with stakes, bats,
pitchforks, and axes.
…
One of the men used his pistols to wound nine people in the limbs …. A total of ten people have been
hospitalised after the incident”. 29
Another issue are neighbourhood problems where Romani people and/or Travellers are usually portrayed as
the troublemakers: on 21 July 2005, ic Berkshire reported about Travellers staying on the car park of a private
company. The article was almost entirely based on statements of a building facilities manager stating that he
was attacked and bitten by two dogs. 30
25 “Gipsies’ ‘ransom’ to leave”, The Sun, 20 June 2005
26 ibid.
27 “Village has to clear up after travellers”, in: The East Anglian Times, 9 August 2005
28 “Is this the worse mess ever left by travellers?”, Stockport Express, 17 August 2005
29 Roma Battle in Bulgarian Town, 10 Hurt, Sofia News Agency 29 July 2005
30 Gypsies camp on car park, ic Berkshire, 21 July 2005