They will be escorted by ‘elders’ after an alleged lack of engagement by GMPPolice instigated a dispersal order covering Manchester city centre last year(Image: Facebook)

Young people from Traveller communities all over the country will come to Manchester’s Christmas markets on Sunday. The visit will go ahead despite fears among some members of the community about how GMP will react following the controversy over their treatment by police last year, a community leader has told the MEN.

They will be escorted by ‘elders’ after it was alleged Greater Manchester Police had failed to engage with leaders from the community ahead of this year’s visit of young Travellers, which has become a popular date in their calendar.

Last year GMP turned away hundreds of youngsters from Traveller communities when they arrived in Manchester city centre, sending them back home on trains almost as soon as they arrived.

They imposed a dispersal order covering the whole of the city centre ‘following reports of trouble among people heading into town’ on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Video was widely shared on social media, with clips showing officers turning people away, among them dozens of children from Traveller communities. People were ushered onto trains heading out of town at Victoria station.

GMP has previously defended its decision to issue a ‘dispersal order’, which gives officers powers to force people to leave a defined geographic area or be arrested if they refuse. The force said it signed the order following reports groups were causing trouble on trains on their way into Manchester.

But GMP was accused of a ‘heavy-handed and discriminatory action’ by a charity, which said Traveller children were stopped from attending the Christmas Markets and ‘forced’ back onto trains out of the city.

Police at Victoria Station(Image: Facebook)

The Traveller Movement said it was ‘shocking’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.

The incident prompted Travellers to march through Manchester city centre in protest, 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.

After the force delivered an internal report about the incident to Greater Manchester deputy mayor Kate Green, Ms Green said she understood the ‘rationale’ behind the force’s decision-making. But she said ‘there are lessons to be learned’, namely that the force could have ‘engaged’ Travellers before their arrival in the city centre.

Following a request by The Traveller Movement, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also announced in March it would review the force’s handling of the affair.

The campaigning charity has alleged ‘racial profiling’ and use of ‘excessive force’ in removing young Travellers, some as young as 10, from the city centre. It repeated claims the police action was ‘disproportionate’.

The Traveller Movement says GMP breached statutory powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Children aged between 12 and 16 from as far afield as Essex and Bristol will be travelling to Manchester to the markets this Sunday, according to Tommy Joyce. He said Traveller ‘elders’ including himself would be on hand to ensure things run smoothly.

Video captured police putting Traveller children back onto trains out of Manchester(Image: Facebook)

However, he said many Travellers families had refused to allow their children to visit the markets this year because of what happened last year, and he said he was ‘pretty shocked’ claiming that GMP had not spoken to leaders from the Traveller community before this year’s visit.

Tommy Joyce, speaking as a spokesman for the Gypsy Traveller League, told the Manchester Evening News: “I don’t think there will be as many as last year because families are afraid to let their kids go. I’ve reached out to them and said everything should be OK but I’m still expecting a lot of kids to turn up.

“I’m hoping a lot turn out and are not put off being in Manchester and feel welcome. There will be a few of elders with me walking around to make sure they are OK and not causing problems and making sure they are enjoying themselves.

“When these kids turn up, they will be from all over the country. The parents will put them on the trains to enjoy the day. There will be cousins that haven’t seen each other for a year or more.

“To be honest, for a lot of kids that’s where they will meet their future wives and husbands. They love coming down to enjoy the markets but one of the main things is to meet their cousins who they haven’t seen for years and enjoy what’s going on in town.

“It’s a big event in the travelling community. It’s big now, the Christmas markets.

Tommy Joyce (left) and Paddy Doherty led the protest(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

“I want them to work with the police rather than against the police. I want communities to integrate together and relax and be happy and enjoy each other. I hope the police will do their job this time better than they did last year.

“If there’s rowdiness, then round up that group and get them gone but don’t tar all of them with the same brush liked happened last year.”

He said he had no dialogue this year from senior figures in GMP.

He said: “A year later and they’re not interested until something happens and they’ll be all over it again. I’ve been pretty shocked at that to be honest and that’s one of the reasons families are scared to let their children to the markets, because there’s been no interaction with the police.”

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said: “We’ve recognised the importance of listening to the travelling community and engaging with them in the last 12 months to ensure that last year’s understandable distress and concern is not repeated.

“We’ve worked with the Deputy Mayor’s office to improve our engagement-led local policing approach. This includes local officers meeting with some members of traveller community as recently as Thursday this week to give our overview to policing the city ahead of another busy weekend in Manchester.

“Our focus is on dialogue, visibility and reassurance rather than enforcement, unless absolutely necessary, and we’ll be working with partners, business, and marketgoers to ensure everyone feels welcome and safe in our city.”