Dr. Sindy Joyce:

I will add to that statement by reading a quote from one of our interviewees during our research around that relationship and the Garda. The person stated:

I’d describe the relationship [between Travellers and the gardaí as] similar to that between the RUC and the nationalist community in the north ... The lack of trust. You know, the way the community was treated, that when the gards did come down, they usually came down in force. You know, they didn’t see Travellers as victims. You know, there seemed to be no victims in the Traveller community as far as the Gards was concerned. It was they’re all perpetrators, you know, that they didn’t mind who they arrested, and I’ve seen that happen, you know?

That is the type of relationship that we are looking at between the Traveller community and An Garda Síochána. It is not for the community to build upon that. It should not be on the community to advocate for their right to access to justice. That is the responsibility of the State.