France and the Roma camps

France seems bent on ignoring criticism from the European Commission and accusations of racism from the UN, as long as they motivate their stance by the idea that their primary concern is for the security of their citizens and for the well-being of their cities.

A former interior minister himself, President Sarkozy chose a heavy-handed approach to the issue. He said that by autumn, half of the 300 improvised Gypsy camps must be dismantled, which are now populated by around 15,000 nomads, mostly of Romanian and Bulgarian origin.


These did not shy from claiming their rights as European citizens, and went on a protest, blocking a bridge near Bordeaux.

They accused France of failing to provide them with proper camping facilities, and said that mass expulsion was out of the question.

Claiming they were overwhelmed by the situation, France threatened to retaliate against the Romanian authorities for improperly managing the Roma situation in their own country, by vetoing the country’s accession to the Schengen space, which is scheduled for next year.


The daily Gândul comments that, while law enforcement and the Roma are playing hide and seek, Sarkozy capitalizes on the situation to prop up his candidacy for another term in office by appealing to right wing sensibilities among French voters.

The newspaper claims that it is the same dynamic that led to Italian PM Berlusconi’s victory in the 2007 elections, saying that his party won cresting the wave of what it calls anti-Roma and anti-Romanian hysteria. In fact, most Romanians are frustrated by the fact that in Western Europe many politicians and media outlets confuse the two terms.

That is due to the fact that, as opinion polls in this country indicate, Romanians, who are generally tolerant with minorities, have the worst opinion of the Roma, whom they accuse of endemic thievery and lack of hygiene.



On a more palpable note, the situation of the approximately half a million Roma in Romania is highly polarized.

At one pole there is the extreme poverty of families with a lot of children who don’t go to school, families that practically starve and cannot afford decent housing, who live on the outskirts of society.

At the other are the wealthy families, with huge villas, expensive cars and a lavish lifestyle, whose wealth is yet to be accounted for.

One of the explanations provided by European law enforcement for this situation is that the latter category exploits the former, sending them begging and stealing in Western countries, causing situations such as the one in France right now.

(Radio România Internaţional, Serviciul în limba engleză).