- LONDON: British officials are dismantling protesters’ scaffolding and preparing to start removing homes from an Irish Travelers site after facing fierce resistance from protesters battling a forced eviction there.
Evictions of Travelers, a traditionally nomadic group similar to, but ethnically distinct from, Gypsy or Roma people, are relatively common across Britain. But few are as large, or as high-profile, as the operation at Dale Farm, 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of London — the culmination of a 10-year legal battle.
A crane on Thursday began tearing down the gate to Dale Farm, a day after police and bailiffs faced resistance from several dozen protesters who threw bricks and struggled with officers at the site. Some 23 people have been arrested.
