France begins deporting Roma Gypsies [View All]

Source: BBC

Some 93 Roma left for Romania and 700 more will follow in the coming weeks after being evicted from their camps. The French government says it is a "decent and humane" policy of removing people from deplorable conditions.

But rights groups have criticised the move, and Romania has warned France against "xenophobic reactions". "I am worried about the risks of populism and xenophobic reactions in a context of economic crisis," Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi told Radio France Internationale.

The operation has been condemned by human rights groups, who say it is deliberately stigmatising a generally law-abiding section of society to win support among right-wing voters.

Last week, members of the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination criticised the tone of political discourse in France on race issues, saying racism and xenophobia were undergoing a "significant resurgence" there.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11020429

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"Years ago, the one-time dissident and Czech President Vaclav Havel said that the Gypsy problem was "a litmus test not of democracy, but of civil society". The challenge now is not just to countries like Hungary or the Czech Republic, but also to much of Europe."

"Some have accused the French president of pandering to the far-right, of stigmatising a vulnerable group. One MP from the president's own party called the round-up "disgraceful" and compared it with what the Nazis did. However, the measures appear to be popular with the public and the president has seen his poll ratings edge up.

The secretary-general of Mr Sarkozy's party, Xavier Bertrand, said the actions were "a slap in the face" for the politically correct.

"As usual, 'Sarkozyism' is out of step with the elites but in step with society," said Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/2010/08/the_roma_repatriation.html