Letter: Travellers in need of tolerance

Sir: In my short life, I have worked as a scaffolder, hod carrier, apple, potato and daffodil picker, and I have done totting (scrap metal) - all back-breaking work. I fetch wood and water up to half a mile daily; in winter, I chop wood daily. I have converted my own home and adapted a half-tonne diesel engine, using improvised tools, in two days, working from dawn till dusk. I have travelled the world.

I object to being called a dirty layabout or scrounger by politicians, journalists and policemen, who have probably never done a day's physical work in their lives.

Last year, I attended 14 free festivals. The police made little or no attempt to stop them, and they usually happened on commons and moors - certainly not at incinerator plants or too close to houses - traditional sites used over the centuries, causing few problems for local residents. There were only a handful of police present; the council would provide a couple of skips and we would clear the site up. The national press ignored us.

This year has seen a change in police tactics, resulting in traffic chaos, noise nuisance for locals and hundreds of police to be paid for. It is a sad day when a nation that prides itself on freedom will not tolerate people that do not participate in the rape of the Earth, or uphold the freedom to party. My community does not want confrontation - we know we will get crushed, but in the face of so much prejudice, we're bound to react.

Yours,

ADAM

(No fixed abode)