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Revision as of 11:52, 15 August 2005
New age travellers or Peace Convoy are a peculiarly British social phenomenon consisting of a group of people who often espouse New age and Neopagan beliefs, and who travel between music festivals and fairs in order to live in a community with others who hold similar beliefs. Their transport and homes consist of vans, lorries, buses and caravans, often painted in bright colours with slogans and often driven in convoys. They also make use of improvised tents, tipis and yurts. The movement originated in the free festivals of the 1970s such as the Windsor Park Free Festival, the early Glastonbury Festivals, and the Stonehenge free festivals.
The movement has suffered persecution by the British government since the mid eighties, beginning with the authorities' attempts to prevent camps at Stonehenge at midsummer and the Battle of the Beanfield in 1985 -- the largest mass civil arrest in English history. The persecution culminated in the Criminal Justice Act of 1994 making trespass a criminal act, largely aimed at this group, and also traditional traveller groups like the Roma people. Members still congregate, but are forced to keep a low profile.