Rod Liddle Rod Liddle

Rod Liddle: What do you call travellers when they are no longer travelling? 

With hordes of them expected to settle in the UK soon, we'd better sort out what to call them

Maria with the Roma couple who allegedly abducted her (Photo: Getty) 
issue 26 October 2013

How should we describe the people who allegedly abducted that little girl in Greece, after a neighbour claimed that they actually paid £850 for her to a passing Bulgarian? It is a minefield we are entering now, having asked this question. Clearly the terms which hitherto some of us may have employed, not always affectionately — pikey, gyppo, tinker — are likely to get you into trouble with the police these days.

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