The Traveller Movement, a leading national charity advocating for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities' equality and human rights, has issued a formal complaint to Sir Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Official Opposition and the Labour Party, regarding the Party’s selection of Kim McGuiness as the Labour Party's candidate for Mayor of the North East. McGuiness, the current Police Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, has been found to have used a racist slur online targeting Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers.
16 Feb 2024The Traveller Movement, a leading national charity advocating for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities’ equality and human rights, has issued a formal complaint to Sir Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Official Opposition and the Labour Party, regarding the Party’s selection of Kim McGuiness as the Labour Party’s candidate for Mayor of the North East. McGuiness, the current Police Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, has been found to have used a racist slur online targeting Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers.
In a letter addressed to Sir Keir Starmer MP, Yvonne MacNamara, CEO of The Traveller Movement, highlighted McGuiness’s use of derogatory language, stating, “The use of this language perpetuates the systemic racism that Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers face on a daily basis.” MacNamara emphasized the importance of addressing racism within political parties and ensuring elected officials act without prejudice.
McGuiness’s use of the term “Gypsy” in a derogatory manner, as evidenced by a 2011 tweet, underscores the urgent need for political parties to take a stand against racism. Despite repeated selection as councillor, Police Crime Commissioner and now Mayor, McGuiness has not issued a public apology or demonstrated a commitment to ending systemic racism faced by Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers.
The Traveller Movement expressed deep concern over the Labour Party’s decision to endorse McGuiness as a candidate, given her history of racist remarks. MacNamara called for transparency in the candidate selection process and urged Sir Keir Starmer to uphold the Labour Party’s commitment to combating racism, as stated in its Codes of Conduct.
This comes shortly after the Traveller Movement have reported Conor Burns MP for Bournemouth West to the Parliamentary Standards Commission for perpetuating racist rhetoric online. https://twitter.com/GypsyTravellerM/status/1757100504558010751?s=20
Quoting Yvonne MacNamara, CEO of The Traveller Movement, the press release reads, “Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Travellers need assurance that our elected officials act in their interest free from prejudice and need to see strong action carried out by political parties when their members and officials are racist towards our communities.”
The Traveller Movement expressed readiness to collaborate with the Labour Party to eradicate anti-Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Traveller discrimination and looks forward to working constructively towards this goal.
NOTE TO EDITOR
The Traveller Movement is a national charity working to promote equality and human rights for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the UK. We aim to challenge discrimination and break down barriers in education, health, employment and the criminal justice system. The Traveller Movement works with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller individuals and families to tackle prejudice and promote community cohesion.