Stop Media Hate: The Sun and other media outlets Must Stop Targeting Travellers
The Issue
To: The Sun, IPSO, and all UK media outlets
Your recent article, “Travellers bulldoze Green Belt when residents asleep”, is not journalism. It is rage bait, built to stir hatred, not inform the public. And it worked—sparking hundreds of toxic, dangerous comments, including one from a former Parachute Regiment officer who said that “burning them out” felt like a logical response.
This wasn’t about violence. It wasn’t about crime. The families involved used a completely legal system that thousands of people use every year: retrospective planning permission. But when it’s Travellers, the public is whipped into a frenzy—and the media lights the match.
Retrospective planning permission allows a person to apply for permission after work has started. In 2022 alone, over 20,000 such applications were submitted across England—mostly by homeowners, landlords, and developers. But when Travellers use it, it becomes a headline. A scandal. A threat.
And your coverage fuels hate.
Your article didn’t just provoke concern—it encouraged talk of arson, eviction, and racial abuse. Some of the comments include:
“Burn it down.”
“Kick them off and fine them.”
“They ruin everywhere.”
One of your own interviewees—a former soldier—suggested burning out families as a logical solution. And you published that without challenge.
The UK’s most hated ethnic group
A 2022 study by the University of Birmingham found that Gypsies and Travellers are the most disliked group in Britain, with 44.6% of people expressing negative views. Even more than Muslims. Media coverage like this doesn't just reflect that hate—it drives it.
We’ve had enough.
We Demand:
The Sun retract or amend the article and address the hate it encouraged.
All UK media outlets stop using rage-bait headlines that target Travellers.
Stronger moderation of comment sections that incite hate or violence.
A commitment to balanced reporting that includes Traveller voices and context.
IPSO to investigate and take action on repeated breaches of ethical standards involving ethnic minorities.
We are not criminals. We are not invaders. We are not clickbait.
We are families, workers, and community members—and we deserve to be treated with dignity.
If you believe in fair media, and in ending racial double standards, sign this petition.
Let’s demand accountability—and bring the hate to light.
44
The Issue
To: The Sun, IPSO, and all UK media outlets
Your recent article, “Travellers bulldoze Green Belt when residents asleep”, is not journalism. It is rage bait, built to stir hatred, not inform the public. And it worked—sparking hundreds of toxic, dangerous comments, including one from a former Parachute Regiment officer who said that “burning them out” felt like a logical response.
This wasn’t about violence. It wasn’t about crime. The families involved used a completely legal system that thousands of people use every year: retrospective planning permission. But when it’s Travellers, the public is whipped into a frenzy—and the media lights the match.
Retrospective planning permission allows a person to apply for permission after work has started. In 2022 alone, over 20,000 such applications were submitted across England—mostly by homeowners, landlords, and developers. But when Travellers use it, it becomes a headline. A scandal. A threat.
And your coverage fuels hate.
Your article didn’t just provoke concern—it encouraged talk of arson, eviction, and racial abuse. Some of the comments include:
“Burn it down.”
“Kick them off and fine them.”
“They ruin everywhere.”
One of your own interviewees—a former soldier—suggested burning out families as a logical solution. And you published that without challenge.
The UK’s most hated ethnic group
A 2022 study by the University of Birmingham found that Gypsies and Travellers are the most disliked group in Britain, with 44.6% of people expressing negative views. Even more than Muslims. Media coverage like this doesn't just reflect that hate—it drives it.
We’ve had enough.
We Demand:
The Sun retract or amend the article and address the hate it encouraged.
All UK media outlets stop using rage-bait headlines that target Travellers.
Stronger moderation of comment sections that incite hate or violence.
A commitment to balanced reporting that includes Traveller voices and context.
IPSO to investigate and take action on repeated breaches of ethical standards involving ethnic minorities.
We are not criminals. We are not invaders. We are not clickbait.
We are families, workers, and community members—and we deserve to be treated with dignity.
If you believe in fair media, and in ending racial double standards, sign this petition.
Let’s demand accountability—and bring the hate to light.
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Petition created on 24 June 2025