Thats definitely an on-going problem.

Flies mostly under the radar that one, as people tend to think of it as, let's say a cultural or socio-economic slur, rather than a racial one. The UK has quite a large Irish traveller population, but most people (erroneously) think of them as Irish people, who are also "gypsies" and as such not a racial issue.

It is a situation which isn't helped (in terms of general ignorance - which I mean in the most genuine way as most people who use the term perjoratively genuinely don't intend it racially) by the cultural preference of the group as a whole (being general, not accounting for individual preference) to live on the fringes of the rest of society. Which is becoming a bit of a vicious circle. As with most things political in this country, state action will be driven by media pressure, and Irish travellers have very few supporters in the press. Hence no real appetite to tackle the problem.

We have not, traditionally, had much of a Roma population. In continental Europe, and most specifically in central and eastern Europe, that's what is meant by the term "gypsies" and it is much more consciously a racial issue. Roma are marginalised to a horrible degree in some places, both by public opinion but also very often by government institutions. It is probably the single biggest race issue in that region.

It surprises me why the travelling folk of this nation get such a raw deal.

I have had very limited contact with gypsies, in fact only four occasions. Once when they re-tarmaced my grandads drive and charged him over £1500 for less than 1cm of tarmac which came up the first time he drove on it. Again when one reversed into my mates van and gave him false insurance details. The time my mates 3.5 ton tipper wagon got stolen and mysteriously turned up in the canal next to a gypsy site, having had most of the parts stripped off it - apparently on-one saw or heard anything - go figure. And finally when my ex-boss let some gypsies do some 'un-quoted' repair work on a wall and they wanted £2000 for less than two hours work. When he refused they informed him that if he didn't pay they'd torch the building.

As I say, it puzzles me as to why public opinion of our travelling brethren is so low.

Is that still going on? These days, we stay in Spain and go to and from the Catalans game on the same day, missing out on the late night drinking in the town.

When we did used to stay over (at the Ibis, natch) I don't remember seeing any real problems in the town, nor too much bad behaviour. The only time I've been really embarassed was the time we went over and the night before our game went to Le Fullback (I think, or the other one) to watch the Friday night game on Sky. A group of our fans were a bloody disgrace, and their antics carried on the plane ride home too.

The two towns in which I have been anti-Semitically abused myself.

The only ground where I've heard anti-semitic comments was Belle Vue - as it was then known - a few years ago.
The worst for racist chanting was the Boulevard, hence I vowed never againto put my money into their pockets.
It was the first year that we had Ellery Hanley in our team there.
I never did return but whenever I've been to the KC I've never heard racist chanting so that has to be an improvement.

Also doesn't help. And a culture that likes to exist slightly outside mainstream society does provide rather more opportunity for this type of behaviour. Which also encourages the stereotype that "that's what they're all like" which is, of course, completely false.

I came home from work one high summer evening and the travelling people/gypsy's were in the street trimming the tree's and I let them do mine.After I paid them and they left I discovered they had been in my shed which was not locked,and pinched garden tools.my next door neighbour who was disabled had things stolen from inside his house,he let them come in and use the toilet.

I am well in my 60s and retired.When I was a young lad late 50s early 60s I was surprised how sporting the Fartown crowd was,for instance they never jeered and booed when Lewis Jones was taking a goal kick,but Castleford and Fev were always hostile.

It wasn't at a game

Until I witness evidence to the contrary then we'll agree to disagree.

fair enough,I was just thinking how the huddersfield crowd appears to have changed since thoose day's

Which is your choice. But, and herein lies the problem, given where (socially) the decent folks of that community spend their time, how likely are you to witness that evidence without going looking for it (which I'm not suggesting you should)?

I've never heard any racist chanting from Huddersfield fans.

Come to think of it, I've never heard any chanting from Huddersfield fans.

Actually, I don't think I've ever seen any Huddersfield fans.....

I remember as a schoolboy on Wallace Arnold coaches going to away games, and coming from west Leeds I noticed there were a lot of fans on the coach trips who were speaking different to me.I later when I left school I recognised it as the Moortown,primley Park,Alwoodley Jewish accent.They were all knowlegable fans discussing the game with everyone else on the coach.I was only a kid at the time and never met a jewish person,but I wonder if they experienced anti semitism at away games?