Passed: March 2022 (17th)

What do you want/Why do you want it?

Hate crime and discrimination against Roma, Gypsy, and Traveller (GRT) communities should be recognised and addressed by LUU as it is a national issue, it occurs on our University campus, and affects students who are part of or connected to these communities. 

By addressing this hate crime and discrimination, LUU can work with the University and local charities, groups, and organisations, to promote useful information about GRT communities to tackle prejudice, misunderstandings and the use of derogatory language. For example, information explaining that there are both ethnic (e.g. Romany/Irish Traveller) and non-ethnic (e.g. New Traveller) communities would be important as this fact is often overlooked. 

The Equality Act says it’s only unlawful discrimination if you’re treated unfairly because of certain reasons. These reasons are called protected characteristics. Race is one of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act. 

It’s race discrimination if you’re treated unfairly because of one of the following things: 

● skin colour 

● nationality 

● ethnic origin 

● national origin 

Some Gypsies and Travellers are protected against discrimination on the basis of their ethnic origins (for example, if you are a Romany Gypsy or Irish Traveller), so this should be recognised in LUU and the University’s anti-racism work. 

LUU can work with the University’s outreach team to better understand hate crime and discrimination against GRT communities, and collaborate with Special Collections and Galleries to promote their collection on GRT communities and celebrate the rich and diverse history and culture of these minoritised groups. 

This work is pertinent as the recent UK Government's Police Bill directly affects GRT communities. The bill suggests the criminalisation of ‘nomadic’ life and threatens to confiscate a person's home if they stop in a location not designated for them.