A large group of Irish Travellers, also called Pavee, are currently facing trouble in Germany. The group travels with around 80 cars hitched to trailers, as well as transporters and motorhomes. The Düsseldorf Police confirmed that around 500 Irishmen were yesterday in “Niederrhein”/Düsseldorf. As “wild” camping without permission is not allowed in Germany, the authorities are requesting the group to leave the occupied areas. However, a deadline set by the police as of August 8 2 p.m. has been ignored. At the same time, they obviously offered up to 100 Euro per vehicle for an extension until Wednesday. The Irish Travellers finally left Düsseldorf and moved back to another place closed to the Dutch border, where they had been already chased only a few days ago.
Local authorities of different cities in Germany were trying to prohibit the visit of the Irish Travellers. The travellers had negative experiences in the previous years from barriers erected around their camping places in order to not allow the group to settle down. German police have reported trouble between Travellers and local citizens in the area.
The Irish Travellers visit Germany, in particular the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, each year in August to celebrate the catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven on 15th August.