The deportation of Roma people from France has commenced following an announcement from President Nicolas Sarkozy that he would implement a tougher policy on crime and illegal immigration.
These deportations have in fact been an ongoing practice, with NGOs working in areas with high Roma population such as Médecins du Monde in Marseilles outlining that the latest crackdown did not come as a surprise.
The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), a public interest law organisation combating anti-Roma and Traveller racism and discrimination in Europe, has called for an end to plans which would lead to "gross human rights violations of these marginalised groups". The organisation has expressed its deep concern regarding the measures announced by the Presidential office which "collectively implicate French Travellers and migrant Roma in crimes and call for their eviction and expulsion". Regarding the measures targeting the migrant Roma (specifically of EU citizens from Romania and Bulgaria), the ERRC has commented that the "blanket characterization of members of this community as living in a "situation of lawlessness" linked to illegal settlements, illicit trafficking and exploitation of children for begging, prostitution or crime" only serves to reinforce views of discrimination against the Roma community.
To view the letter sent by the ERRC to the French President in full, please click here.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has also expressed its deep concern about the treatment of Roma migrants in France, and has called on the French authorities to tackle "the racist attitudes and hostility harboured by the majority population vis-à-vis this community". To view the ECRI statement on the situation of Roma migrants in France in full, please click here.