HUNDREDS of riot police stormed through the rear perimeter fence into the Dale Farm compound at 7am yesterday morning, injuring female residents that they pushed to the ground and causing children to scream in terror.
Two people were Tasered in the police-led operation, seven were arrested and two were taken to hospital.
By mid-morning the bailiffs came on site and along with the riot police started trying to remove dozens of supporters of the Dale Farm community, many of whom had chained themselves to scaffolding high above the ground.
Grattan Puxon, Secretary of the Dale Farm Residents Association and founder member of the Gypsy Council, angrily said: ‘Since the foundation of the Gypsy Council we have never seen anything so brutal and shocking as Essex Police coming in ahead of the bailiffs, kicking everybody in sight of them.
‘Nora Egan happened only to be in the way of the riot police and was pushed against the wall and she is now in Basildon General Hospital with a back injury.
‘We have another mother who was outside her legal home here at the back of Dale Farm, that is Mary McCarthy, she’s bleeding from the face having been pushed against the wall outside her own home.
‘We are compiling this evidence for a very slim hope that an appeal to a judge this afternoon might stop what’s happening here.
‘It started as a small matter of a planning issue that has now escalated into ethnic cleansing and I cannot believe that Teresa May is putting £6 million of taxpayers’ money into ethnic cleansing of Travellers who have their own peaceful community here.
‘We were not part of “broken Britain” but they’ve sent in the riot police to break us up. I cannot believe this is happening.’
Noreen told News Line: ‘They’ve beaten up two women already. They’ve smashed up a caravan in a yard that has been ruled legal. There was an old woman in a wheelchair in the yard. I think it is scandalous. They’ve got no conscience.’
28-year-old Elby said: ‘About 7am all the riot cops came. So far they’ve beaten up an old lady, my cousin, and damaged a caravan. They’ve pushed a couple of girls, it’s so bad.
‘I’ve heard there’s another legal move to stop the eviction. The first judge ruled that if anybody got hurt during the eviction it had to be stopped.
‘Margaret McCarthy was beat up by the riot cops and Nora Egan. It feels like a war zone. I think they are going to hurt more people.’
Kathleen McCarthy said to a group of riot police: ‘Shame on you. You came in on women and children. Shame on the whole lot of you.’
She told News Line: ‘We weren’t expecting riot police to come in and beat up women and children. We caused no violence this morning.
‘They got one woman in a corner and pushed her and shoved her.’
Teenage Dale Farm resident, Maryanne said: ‘The eviction hasn’t been stopped. This is an eviction of racism.
‘I’ve seen two people hit by police. They pushed my aunt.’
Sherlene Sheridan said: ‘It’s absolutely terrible. They said this was going to be a peaceful eviction, but there’s nothing peaceful about it. They’ve smashed up a caravan that the court said was legal. They don’t care that there are children here, they’ve got no remorse.’
