A Fife Traveller who has been “self-isolating” at a friend’s house as a precaution against coronavirus was shocked to discover that his caravan had been broken into, ransacked and daubed with Nazi graffiti.
James O’Connor has had a caravan at Auchtermuchty Common, to the north of the town, for 20 years and grazes horses there.
On Friday when he went to the Common to feed his animals, he discovered that a window had been forced open, his belongings trashed and most shockingly, his walls and cupboards had been daubed with slogans like ‘Sieg Heil’, ‘Heil Hitler’ and swastikas.
Now the 72-year-old, who believes he has been persecuted in the past because of his traditional heritage, hopes the community will help him identify whoever was responsible.
He told The Courier: “Someone appears to have broken in on Wednesday or Thursday night and done the graffiti. It’s Nazi stuff.
“There was also a large bottle of Morgan Spiced rum smashed up in the caravan, which I’ve been renovating, and turned it all upside down.
“There’s also pictures of ‘willies and balls’ sprayed on the doors – so I think it’s kids, teenagers. Kids in ‘Muchty use the Common as a drinking den.
“But it’s the Nazi stuff. They might not understand what that really means to Travelling people – the numbers who were murdered in the war.”
Bristol-born Mr O’Connor, whose Irish-Scots-English Traveller heritage goes back generations, said he made use of his legal right to graze his horses on the Common, which is owned by the Macduff Trust.
The trust maintains the Common and Mr O’Connor is now the official conservation grazier.
He has lived largely in harmony with the community, and said things have improved greatly from a “get the tink off the Common” mind-set previously held by a minority.
However, he is no stranger to repeated vandalism.
In 2010 he suffered a serious act of arson when vandals ransacked his caravan and set fire to a number of his prized possessions, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Then a large bonfire was started around 100 yards away, out of sight of the main road, where a wooden-framed two-wheeled horse gig and a four-wheeled cart belonging to Mr O’Connor were set ablaze.
In November 2014 he said someone maliciously phoned the Scottish SPCA and claimed that his horses had been abandoned on the Common.
Then in December 2014 and again in January 2015, he said electric fencing that contained his three horses at the Common was cut, allowing the animals to stray on to the road, to the endangerment of themselves and road users.
Mr O’Connor believes the previous attacks were racially motivated and had hoped they were in the past.
He said Travellers in Scotland were generally “lucky” compared with treatment in England. The Scottish Government was “enlightened” he said.
However, he believes right-wing rhetoric from some in the Westminster government in recent years may have incited a resurgence of intolerance from a minority.
Anyone with information about the latest break-in and vandalism should contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
