Traveller girl, 13, ended up 'hysterical' in Grimsby after being herded onto train by police in Manchester

A mother has described how her daughter was left crying and 'hysterical' after police forced her and other young people from the traveller community onto trains heading out of Manchester without knowing the destination.

The girl, aged 13, and her 15-year-old brother were among scores of youngsters who were herded onto trains at Victoria railway station as part of a police 'dispersal order' designed to prevent trouble in the city centre.

Greater Manchester Police has defended the tactic in the face of stinging criticism from parents of some of the children involved. Today (Sunday) another parent from the traveller community described how the incident had left her 13-year-old daughter traumatised after she and her sibling ended up in Grimsby.

READ MORE: Call for investigation after Gypsy and Traveller children 'blocked from Christmas markets and forced onto trains out of Manchester'

The mother, who declined to be named, said her daughter was 'hysterical' when she called from the railway station as she was being escorted onto the train with others. The brother and sister had travelled from Doncaster earlier that day.

While her children were heading to Manchester, the mother described how she went to the Trafford Centre so she could be close by in case her children needed help.

She said: "I was in there literally five minutes when my little girl calls me hysterical saying she's being pushed onto the train. She didn't have a clue where it was going. She was crying and screaming. I could hear the police officers saying 'we don't care where you go, just get back on that train and get off now'. I was saying to put the police officers on the phone but I could hear them saying 'I don't want to speak to your mother - get on that train'."

The mother said it was only during the train journey that her children learned the train was heading to Grimsby. Once they arrived in Grimsby, they got another train back to Doncaster where she picked them up at about 9pm on Saturday night, said the mother.

Asked how her children were feeling, the woman said: "My little boy is just a little bit upset. He's more angry as to why it happened. But my little girl never ever wants to be in that situation again. It's scared her and she never wants to leave her mum and dad."

When it was suggested to her that police say they were acting to prevent trouble in the city centre, she said: "That's bulls**t! How can they say everybody coming into Manchester yesterday was going to cause trouble. If they have photographs and evidence of certain people coming into Manchester to cause trouble, fair enough. Get them back on the train. But not innocent kids. And they were only targeting the travelling community. And yet again they will get away with it. My kids have never been in trouble in their lives.

"We have been discriminated against once again. But this time it wasn't against adults. It was against pure innocent kids."

Events on Saturday have prompted calls for Greater Manchester Police to explain their operation. The Traveller Movement, a national charity, said it was a 'shocking' and 'completely unacceptable'. Report Racism GRT, meanwhile, a hate incident reporting organisation for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families, claimed some younger children were 'separated from their siblings'.

They hit out at 'discriminatory treatment' and called for a full investigation to hold GMP 'accountable for their actions'. Both organisations issued an appeal for anyone with mobile phone video footage or accounts to contact them.

When the M.E.N. asked GMP for a comment on the criticism from parents, a spokesperson said on Saturday: "We are responding to reports of hundreds of youths gathering in Manchester city centre and causing disturbances for retail staff and patrons of the markets.

"Additional powers have authorised enabling officers to manage groups involved in anti-social behaviour more effectively, and so far, we have issued 40 dispersal orders which instructs someone likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to leave an area immediately."

A man and a teenage boy were arrested at Exchange Square on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in separate incidents, the force has said. The arrest of the youth followed moves by officers to break up a fight, said GMP.

The dispersal order, signed by a senior police officer at 12.13pm on Saturday, gives Greater Manchester Police extra powers to order people to leave the city and lock them up if they refuse. The order was 'in response to a rising number of reports and in the interest of protecting the public from excessive anti-social behaviour, disorder, and criminality over the weekend', said the officer who signed it.

The so-called 'section 34' order covers 48 hours and expires around noon on Monday. A man and a teenage boy were arrested at Exchange Square on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in separate incidents on Saturday, the force has said. The arrest of the youth followed moves by officers to break up a fight, said GMP.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon, of GMP’s specialist operations unit, said on Saturday: "We are monitoring and managing a significant increase in footfall across Manchester City Centre and throughout our districts with groups of youth gathering together and causing disturbances.

"I have authorised a dispersal order under S34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act across all Greater Manchester. This is in response to a rising number of reports and in the interest of protecting the public from excessive anti-social behaviour, disorder, and criminality over the weekend.

"This order should help visitors travel across GM with ease and enable residents to go about their daily activities. There will be an increase in police presence with neighbourhood officers deployed. If you have any concerns, please do approach them, they are there to keep you safe.

"If you see anything suspicious report it to police on 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency."