How offensive is the word 'pikey'?

[Churchill]

What do you think this is, a democracy?

I've no misconceptions in that area, oh no!

[cailin maith]

Was probably 7 pikeys who took offence

[TimberWolf]

Was probably 7 pikeys who took offence

And they probably didn't have TV licenses

[cailin maith]

And they probably didn't have TV licenses

Very likely

[Moscow Mule]

And they probably didn't have TV licenses

All sing along now;

The wheels on you house go round and round,
Round and round
Round and round

The wheels on you house go round and round,
Round and round
Round and round

All day long

[Churchill]

I live in Cottenham, Google that and "Travellers"...

[cailin maith]

My sis used to work in a hotel at home and they (pikeys, tinkers, knackers, gypos - pick one) used to come in and ask if they could book a wedding in the hotel. Invariably they'd bring 25 or 30k cash - in a plastic bag, I might add - to pay for it.... would cost way more than that to fix the place after they left

[DS23]

don't tell him your name pike!

[RichardCranium]

"Of course" I replied, "it should be thieving gyppo".

But surely the word "thieving" is redundant?

All sing along now;

The wheels on you house go round and round,
Round and round
Round and round

Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's:

"The wheels on someone else's unattended caravan / car / van go round and round,
Round and round
Round and round

All day long"

[xoggoth]

Nobody likes travellers, that's the point. What is the point of having inoffensive expressions for people we WANT to offend?