The devouring begins a-new

We have reported previously on what is tantamount to ethnic cleansing of the Roma. The French government recently ordered the closure of 300 Roma gypsy settlements and now the policy of "encouraging" Roma families to return home has begun in earnest.
"They are trying to get rid of us all," said one woman, heavily pregnant, and fearful for the future.
A 27-year-old Romanian man has lived in Marseille since he was child, still has no papers, and cannot get a job. "This discrimination will not go away. France has become the opposite of liberty, equality and fraternity," he said. "No one wants us. There is no place for us. Not in Romania, and not in France."

With increasing poverty amongst the Roma in Eastern Europe, it is hardly surprising that families travel to countries like France in order to find work. The French government has stated it is acting legally, because the European freedom of movement law allows for “restrictions on the right to move freely for reasons of public order, public security and public health”. However, these exemptions to the law usually apply on a case by case basis for removing individuals from a country, rather than for mass deportations.
The European Roma Policy Coalition warned that ‘Too many Roma are still victims of racism, discrimination and social exclusion. Too many Roma children are still on the streets instead of going to school.’

Throughout Europe reports of violence against the Roma have increased significantly, particularly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, where extremist and openly racist groups and political parties are gaining in popularity. In Hungary, right-wing groups are particularly active in organising demonstrations against the Roma and over the last two years, 48 serious attacks against Roma families and their children have been reported by the Hungarian media. There are an estimated million Roma in Hungary, making up one tenth of the population. During the Communist Party rule, social policies encouraged large families and those with three children or more were virtually guaranteed an unconditional mortgage loan. Such financial incentives allowed many Roma to build their own homes. But since the collapse of the state capitalist system, Hungarians receive less than 50 dollars per child and with the slow Hungarian economy, many Roma are struggling to find work and feed their large families. Almost 90% of Roma adults are unemployed and most are living below the poverty line. And with worsening racial attitudes, it is becoming even harder to find employment, especially since many Roma lack a decent level of education. Fewer than 10% of Roma students complete secondary school in Hungary.

NGO workers in Marseille, the latest crackdown comes as no surprise. They believe the government's very public stance on the Roma is fuelled largely by a desire to appeal to the populist vote. "It is a perfectly demagogic tactic … No one is taken in. These are measures aimed at seducing the far right. said Philippe Rodier of Médecins du Monde .

Indeed, our rulers have a long history of camoflaging the failures of capitalism, particularly in times of economic slump, by seeking out scapegoats. Nor should we forget that Hitler and the Nazis also sought to cleanse Europe of the Roma. Once more the Socialist Party of Great Britain calls for the workers of the world to unite.