Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Little change

French authorities have dismantled two makeshift Roma camps housing 200 people near the northern city of Lille. 150 people expelled from one camp and about 50 from another. On the same day around 240 Roma gypsies were flown from Lyon to Romania. It appears that this so-called "socialist" government is actively pursuing the same policies of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Roma rights groups had hoped for a change  under Hollande but Manuel Valls, France's new interior minister, has promised to take a "firm" line on the issue, insisting that "unsanitary" camps will continue to be dismantled.

An estimated 15-20,000 Roma live in France. There are some 12 million Roma living in eastern Europe, particularly in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary. SOYMB have previously blogged on the plight of the Roma.

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