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'SO UNFAIR'
I’m a gypsy & I’m fed up with being judged…it’s so bad I’m banned from carveries – even my gran gets searched in Matalan
Scroll down to find out exactly what happened when Chantelle tried to buy a new top
WALKING into her local supermarket, Chantelle Devonshire braces herself as the security guard catches her eye.
That's because the 23 year old, who is from Cambridge, says as a Gypsy she faces a daily struggle to fight prejudice and she can’t even get her food shopping in Tesco or pick up a new outfit without a backlash.
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Not only is Chantelle followed by suspicious staff in shops, but she's been banned from restaurants, accused of stealing and denied entry into nail salons. Even her gran bears the brunt of the prejudice.
Fuming about what she calls 'unfair judgement', Chantelle who previously revealed what school holidays are like on caravan sites, says: “You can’t class us all the same. It’s not fair.
“It does get to me, I’m a good person. I’ve never spoken to anyone wrongly. I was brought up with good manners.
“I get accused of things because of what other people have done.
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“I get dirty looks and get looked up and down, it’s so unfair.
“We’re not the only community with bad people in it. People can’t keep painting us with the same brush.
“People always see the worst in us and they never see the good. They only see the bad stuff on the TV and we all get classed as the same.”
Cinema snub
Chantelle says she first experienced prejudice when she was a teenager, on what she thoughts would be a normal cinema trip.
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“The first time it ever happened to me, I was about 14 years old," she says.
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“We were standing in the queue, giggling and laughing, waiting for the film.
“When we got to the desk, the man that worked there said ‘we can’t let you in’.
“Then the manager came over and she said the only way she would let us in, was if they separated us around the cinema.
“There were loads of other kids there being louder than us - they knew we were gypsies and they didn’t want us in there.”
Blocked and barred
Chantelle says she's faced the same battles trying to eat out where she's often refused entry.
She explains: “I once went to a pub that served carveries - we booked a table in advance, there were about six of us.
“When we got to the desk and said our name, they looked at us and said ‘we didn’t get your booking, we’re fully booked’.
“We looked around and there were loads of empty seats. I showed them the email confirmation and they wouldn’t let us in.
“On the door of the pub, it said ‘no gypsies or travellers allowed’.
“I’ve even been to restaurants that have bouncers on the door, and if they know you’re a traveller, they don’t let you in.”
Differences between a gypsy and a traveller
Typically, Gypsies is a term used to describe Romani people, who migrated to Europe from India.
Meanwhile, traveller refers to a group of people who usually have either Irish, Scottish or English heritage.
While many English gypsy girls are allowed to drink alcohol and go on holiday with their friends before they get married, many Irish traveller girls are not allowed to do this.
Generally, both gypsies and travellers will share the same morals.
Chantelle reveals how she's also been turned away from nail salons countless times.
“Me and my mum went to have our nails done and we were refused," she recalls.
“They said ‘no gypsies and no travellers in here’.
“My mum said that we would pay up front. She really needed her nails done and they wouldn’t serve us. They refused.”
Night out hostility
Chantelle claims she is often met with similar hostility on nights out.
Recalling a milestone birthday celebration, she says: “When I turned 21, I went out to a nightclub.
“We had to empty our bags to prove that we weren’t stealing
Chantelle Devonshire
“Before we walked in, the security guard looked at us and said ‘you’re gypsies, we’re not gonna have any trouble from you are we?’
“He then said ‘I know what your kind of people are like’. It doesn’t matter where I go, people will always say that.”
Causing a scene
And it’s not just clubs and restaurants that lead to problems for Chantelle - even something as simple as a trip to Tesco can end in tears.
On a recent trip to the supermarket with her husband Swaley, Chantelle recalls: “We recently went into our local Tesco - we go there every week.
“We paid for our shopping and as we were about to leave, a man walked up to my husband and said ‘the police are on the way because you’ve been stealing, you’ve got something in your coat pocket’.
“We were in shock. He was causing a scene in front of everyone. We were so embarrassed.
“We took my husband’s coat off, ripped everything out of the pockets - we showed our receipt.
“We complained and the supermarket fired him and gave us a gift card.
“It wasn’t fair when we literally hadn’t done anything wrong.”
Proving innocence
And what many would see as a quick trip to the shops to get some new clothes, is often a nightmare for Chantelle.
She says: “I was once walking round Matalan with my granny and as we were looking round, the security guard was following us.
We’re not the only community with bad people in it. People always see the worst in us
Chantelle Devonshire
“He accused my granny of having something in her bag - she was in shock.
“My granny is your typical old-fashioned gypsy woman - she’s got the gold earrings and bracelets.
“We had to empty our bags to prove that we weren’t stealing.”
Sitting target
Chantelle says because of the discrimination she's faced, she's often too anxious to leave her home where she also gets targeted.
“Even when I’ve been outside my own house, people have driven past and shouted out the window ‘dirty p****y’," she says.
“It used to really affect me. I used to hide it a lot - even when I had a job, I didn’t tell anyone that I was a gypsy. I was scared I’d get fired.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We want everyone to feel welcome at Tesco.
"We investigated her complaint thoroughly and we apologised to Chantelle and provided a gesture of goodwill to say sorry for the experience.”
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Matalan were approached for comment.
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