14.11.2014 Eviction of a Rroma settlement in Ivry-sur-Seine

Métout (2014) reports on the eviction of an informal settlement Rroma in Ivry-sur-Seine. Around 30 families lived on a terrain of the French rail network (Réseau Ferré de France RFF), since July this year. On September the 30th, the justice ruled that the location has to be evacuated. The reasoning of the court referred to the security flaws in the camp: “RFF had demanded the intervention of the public authority, pointing to an imminent threat. People had been spotted on the railway tracks, and the power supply of the camp had been done through a transformer, which is used by the SNCF. Therefore, the prefecture has promised an urgent intervention. Upon the arrival of the police this Thursday, one of the two grounds was completely free of any residents. “On the site there were a dozen families, as the collective in support of the Romanians of d’Ivry stated. They decided to go away on their own. The others have no clue, where they shall go.” In France, according to assessments of the Rroma Foundation, there are an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma. The majority of them is integrated, goes to work, speaks French and has its own accommodations. Many of them live in France for several generations. The media, the politicians and the public do not perceive these invisible Rroma: they are even denied existence. On the other hand, there is a minority of the minority, approximately 17,000 recently immigrated Rroma, who get all the media attention. – These marginalised Rroma are hindered in their integration efforts by the relentless expulsion policy of the French state, especially the children, who are often enrolled in local schools, are negatively affected by the continuous expulsions (compare RTL 2014).