Save Dale Farm?

As a Christian, and wanting to believe and do the right thing, I am flummoxed by the eviction of travellers who have been living illegally for many years, at Dale farm, Basildon, Essex. The cry going up is, “Save Dale Farm”, but save it from what? Eviction is the first and obvious answer, but what is behind it?

Should the families of Dale Farm be exempt from the law? No. Should the residents be able to change the law? Maybe, but this has been tried in the highest court in the land, and failed. Should the residents be offered another place to set up camp? Yes, that has been done, to a site just a few hundred yards down the road. Should the council offer a house to live in, instead of a caravan, for the young families? Yes, and that offer has also been refused.

So, it is plain to see that the residents are in the wrong, on all counts. The local council has to be congratulated in their patience, and offers of help. After all, this has taken 10 years of patient negotiation and legal process, to get to this stage. The eviction did not come out of the blue, even though you could be forgiven for thinking this, by all the media attention given. The police are also doing a difficult job in an almost impossible situation. It’s not their fault!

Back to the question, “why?” My own feeling is that the travellers want to make a point, and are prepared to do what they can, and to go down fighting, literally! Think about this. If a group of squatters took over your home, and it took 10 years for the law to be applied, what would you think? Meanwhile, other neighbours and ‘friends’ join the party in your home. What if your home was not looked after, or kept in good repair? Would you be happy as you waited for the courts to decide to evict the squatters? I know I would not! Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul make it clear that we should obey the government, and give to it as required. It is worth remembered that Jesus and Paul lived in and through Roman occupation, and yet the principle of civil obedience is given as our example.
Based on all of this, I believe the travelling community are in the wrong, have had long enough to reconsider, and should be moved on. The use of force has been made necessary by the actions of the travellers themselves. To put it in plain speak, they only have themselves to blame!