Kiev Communard
19th August 2010, 12:45
France begins deportations of Roma Gypsies
France has begun to deport Roma (Gypsies) as part of a crackdown on illegal camps in the country.
Romanian officials said they expected two flights carrying a total of 93 Roma to land in Bucharest later.
About 700 more will be flown out by the end of August, in what France says 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.
Romanian officials told the AFP news agency they expected a flight with 14 Roma from Paris to arrive at 1130 GMT (1430 local time) and a second group of 79 Roma to arrive from Lyon at 1400 GMT.
The Roma who have volunteered to leave have each been given 300 euros (£246; $384) and 100 euros (£82; $128) for each child.
But some who were leaving told journalists they were not looking forward to returning home.
"In Romania, you work for 30 days, for 12 to 15 hours a day and you get 150 euros a month," an unnamed man told Reuters as he prepared to board his Bucharest-bound flight in Paris.
"With that money, it's not enough to eat and feed the kids."
Race 'resurgence'
The French government says it plans to shut down 300 illegal Roma camps in the next three months.
The controversial plan, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, was put in place after clashes last month between travellers and police in the southern city of Grenoble.
The government says the camps are "sources of illegal trafficking, of profoundly shocking living standards, of exploitation of children for begging, of prostitution and crime".
The Roma are EU citizens, mostly from Romanian or Bulgaria, but French law requires any European visitor intending to stay longer than three months to have a work permit.
Some 51 camps have already been demolished by police and the residents have been moved into temporary shelters or accommodation.
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.
'Public order issue'
But France has insisted that the actions "fully conform with European rules and do not in any way affect the freedom of movement for EU citizens, as defined by treaties".
Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told the AFP news agency that an EU directive "expressly allows for restrictions on the right to move freely for reasons of public order, public security and public health".
Mr Sarkozy's political opponents have accused him of using the Roma issue to shift public attention away from corruption and on to crime.
Sarkozy's policies are becoming even more xenophobic with this decision. And his new basically anti-Arab law on deportation (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/02/france-racial-intolerance-sarkozy) is, I fear, just the beginning.
France has begun to deport Roma (Gypsies) as part of a crackdown on illegal camps in the country.
Romanian officials said they expected two flights carrying a total of 93 Roma to land in Bucharest later.
About 700 more will be flown out by the end of August, in what France says 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.
Romanian officials told the AFP news agency they expected a flight with 14 Roma from Paris to arrive at 1130 GMT (1430 local time) and a second group of 79 Roma to arrive from Lyon at 1400 GMT.
The Roma who have volunteered to leave have each been given 300 euros (£246; $384) and 100 euros (£82; $128) for each child.
But some who were leaving told journalists they were not looking forward to returning home.
"In Romania, you work for 30 days, for 12 to 15 hours a day and you get 150 euros a month," an unnamed man told Reuters as he prepared to board his Bucharest-bound flight in Paris.
"With that money, it's not enough to eat and feed the kids."
Race 'resurgence'
The French government says it plans to shut down 300 illegal Roma camps in the next three months.
The controversial plan, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, was put in place after clashes last month between travellers and police in the southern city of Grenoble.
The government says the camps are "sources of illegal trafficking, of profoundly shocking living standards, of exploitation of children for begging, of prostitution and crime".
The Roma are EU citizens, mostly from Romanian or Bulgaria, but French law requires any European visitor intending to stay longer than three months to have a work permit.
Some 51 camps have already been demolished by police and the residents have been moved into temporary shelters or accommodation.
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.
'Public order issue'
But France has insisted that the actions "fully conform with European rules and do not in any way affect the freedom of movement for EU citizens, as defined by treaties".
Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told the AFP news agency that an EU directive "expressly allows for restrictions on the right to move freely for reasons of public order, public security and public health".
Mr Sarkozy's political opponents have accused him of using the Roma issue to shift public attention away from corruption and on to crime.
Sarkozy's policies are becoming even more xenophobic with this decision. And his new basically anti-Arab law on deportation (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/02/france-racial-intolerance-sarkozy) is, I fear, just the beginning.