Police apologise following Traveller station incident

GREATER Manchester Police has apologised “for any humiliation and distress caused” after groups of young people were ordered to leave the city, a leading Traveller’s charity has said.

- CHRIS SLATER

Videos emerged last month of a large number of young people, including children from Traveller communities, apparently being prevented from attending the Christmas markets.

Footage showed them walking down a staircase to a platform at Manchester Victoria railway station lined by police. They were then put on trains heading out of the city.

It came after GMP signed a dispersal order “following reports of trouble among people heading into town” on Saturday, November 23. The actions of officers prompted anger, consternation and concern from Traveller communities and beyond.

On Friday, around 300 people from Traveller communities, along with supporters, brought parts of Manchester city centre to a standstill as part of a protest march.

The demonstration, organised by the Gypsy Traveller League, was led by Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and Celebrity Big Brother star Paddy Doherty and Tommy Joyce, a well-known face among Greater Manchester’s Traveller communities.