Leighton Buzzard 'slave' empire uncovered in major police raid

[Lars77]

Source: Guardian

Twenty-four modern day slaves were released from bondage on Sunday after a pre-dawn police raid found them emaciated, hungry and living in "filthy and cramped" conditions on a caravan site in Leighton Buzzard.

The men – Poles, Romanians and Russians as well as British – had been forced to survive in a "state of virtual slavery" at the Greenacre caravan site, according to Bedfordshire police.

The men varied in age from about 20 to 50 years old; all vulnerable men who had been recruited from homeless shelters and dole queues. Some are believed to have been in virtual captivity for up to 15 years.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/11/leighton-buzzard-slaves-released

[LongTomH]

1. This is ghastly; but, we've known for some time that it still goes on.

Every so often a case is reported in the US of farm workers or domestics being held in involuntary servitude. Penalties need to be increased in the US, just as it was in Britain.

[SoapBox]

2. Another bizarre freak show...

WTF is up with humans that just have to enslave other humans?

Sick.

[HereSince1628]

3. I never thought my 11th great grandfather's hometown

would make news like that!

[bloomington-lib]

4. I didn't see anywhere in the article that said what kind of labor it was

Seems like they must have been running some sort of business and not just forcing them to mow the lawn and do the dishes.

Plus, I wonder what they did with the ones who died. You can't run people down to that state for 15 years without some of them dieing.

[tblue37]

7. Hard physical labor, like laying asphalt. (The second linked article

specified that.)

[ejbr]

5. Seven years in prison for imprisoning someone for 15 years....

just awesome. :sarcasm:

[closeupready]

8. How civilized, huh, those Europeans are. Meanwhile, here in the US, you get 30-life.

I think justice is better served here on that one.

[Lars77]

10. Europe is not a country.

[closeupready]

11. Neither is the US.

[tblue37]

6. The gang that held the slaves were Travellers. They are a nomadic

Irish subculture found mainly in Ireland and the UK, though 10 to 15 thousand may also be in the US, descended from those who immigrated because of the Irish potato famine.

They live like the Roma, but they are ethnically Irish, so they are distinct from the Roma. But they are viewed in Ireland and England the same way the Roma are viewed in the rest of Europe.

[zalinda]

9. Let's just say, you don't ever want to do business with a Traveller

you will always come out on the very short end of the deal.

zalinda

[snagglepuss]

12. One of the Redgrave sisters and others are protesting the eviction of

travellers from Dale Farm in the UK. A cause celebre for many on the Left,a cause that I, a Socialist, do not share. I wonder how those who have put travellers on a pedestal will react to this story.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Whilst I don't personally agree

with the plight of the Dale Farm travellers its not a fair a comparison to compare them with the this bunch in Leighton Buzzard. Dale Farm is a simple planning issue - those there are simply using the excuse they are travellers.

[Selena Harris]

14. Anybody see the movie "Traveller " from a few years back?

Traveller (1997) More at IMDbPro »


A young man, Pat, visits the clan of gypsy-like grifters (Irish Travellers) in rural North Carolina from whom he is descended. He is at first rejected, but cousin Bokky takes him on as an apprentice. Pat learns the game while Bokky ....

NOTE: Really good film with Bill Paxton,Mark Wahlberg and Julianna Marguiles. I learned a lot.