Author Joe Smith Defends Travellers at West Sussex Cricket Ground

Author Joe Smith, who previously used the name "Gypsy Joe Smith," defended travellers who occupied a village cricket ground in West Sussex. He spoke to GB News and said families similar to his own encounter repeated refusals when attempting to reserve traditional camping sites.

Smith told the People's Channel that travellers avoid industrial estates and seek open spaces for children. He stated the group selected the cricket field because pitches showed no scheduled activity and no work vehicles were present.

Smith said travellers are routinely turned away from campsites, sometimes based on postcode alone. He described his siblings, who own land and caravans, being refused bookings even when requesting space for one or two motorhomes. He added that the half-term timing and visible lack of work indicated the families were taking a break rather than conducting business on the site.

>"If you're going to camp somewhere, you don’t go into an industrial estate with concrete. You've got kids; you go to a nice green field.