Crays Hill, Essex, UK, February 8, 2008: Our friend Grattan belongs in a long and honorable line of non-violent resistors. He cannot be intimidated. If tanks were coming up the main street of Colchester, Grattan would be the one to step out and face them down.

Why is he so motivated? When we first heard of him in America, we assumed he was a Traveller. After all, he’s called Grattan and publishes articles under a news service called “Ustiben reports.” Grattan….Ustiben….Such names have a Celtic ring to them.

But no. It turns out that Grattan sought refuge in Ireland many years back, when he was avoiding conscription in the British army. He was taken in by Travellers, and was with some of them when they were evicted. Some of their relatives are at Dale Farm. He’s now trying to repay their earlier kindness.

Dale Farm is certainly where his heart lies, but he is also deeply committed to the broader challenge of helping Britain’s Travellers and Gypsies find their place in British society – on their own terms. Grattan helped to found the Gypsy Council, a prominent advocacy group. He’s indispensable to the Travellers’ campaign, and may even be more committed than many of them.

This no doubt raises questions, but for the moment I’m happy to observe Grattan’s unusual qualities, in particular his combination of gentleness and tenacity. He exudes respect for other people, to the point of being deferential, and has no obvious ego. At the same time, he’s so committed to the struggle that some view him as extreme and uncompromising.

Last summer, when the bulldozers seemed about to descend on Dale Farm, Grattan suggested that the Travellers pile up gas cylinders at the gate to repel invaders. The Basildon Echo got hold of this and suggested that the local village was about to get blasted out of existence. That just added fuel to the fire (which was no doubt the intention), but the exchange sobered everyone and served as a reminder that eviction could get nasty.

Zach Scott, our Peace Fellow in Dale Farm at the time, gently suggested that the cylinders were unduly provocative and helped to pull down the barricade. Grattan was happy to help. He had made his point.