Category Archives: France

France News Western Europe

French Camp Chronicle

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French Camp Chronicle

And the cat and mouse game goes on. Camps were closed in Bobogny, near Paris; in the Val the Marne, were Rroma were expulsed of a house; while in the north, near Lille, a judge needs to decide whether a camps will be closed or not.

Évacuation du camp rom des Couteaux de Roubaix: le juge se prononcera le 10 août. In: Nord Éclair. 21.07.2015. http://www.nordeclair.fr/info-locale/evacuation-du-camp-rom-des-couteaux-de-roubaix-le-juge-se-ia50b12891n808772

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Šutka TV: A Rroma TV in the middle of Paris

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A television in part in Rromanes, in the middle of the French capital. The television was established in 2012 by a Rroma from Macedonia who lives in France, and the television aims at helping Rroma to integrate better in French society. The TV chanel is called after the Šutka, the largest Rroma settlement in Skopje.

A reportage on French TV, prime time.

 

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Travellers and Rroma

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Travellers and Rroma

An article about the cohabitation of “gens du voyage” – the French version of Travellers, and Rroma. Travellers is used in France to denote both non-Rroma as well as Manouches and other local travelling Rroma, while Rroma (Roms in France) is a term that is only used to denote the “foreigners”. This is a remake of the Sinti and Rroma that we know from Germany, although all are Rroma.

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Rroma wedding near Zurich

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Rroma wedding near Zurich

Again a case of a Rroma wedding near Zurich were roughly 70 caravans gathered to celebrate a wedding. These travelling Rroma are from France and Germany (with a corresponding passport) and are members of a pentacostal church. A farmer rented them his land for 5’000 Swiss Francs. People in the village are annoyed and are asking why nothing is being done by the police.

A typical controversy, including the fact that people defecate in the open, and thus befoul the region and adjacent wood.

But the WORST are the commentaries: Bigots and racists seem to love these news.

  • Hunderte Roma feiern Hochzeit. Nürensdorf stinkts. In: Blick. 22.07.2015. http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/zuerich/hunderte-roma-feiern-hochzeit-nuerensdorf-stinkts-id3997122.html
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Meanwhile in France: Further camp news

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Meanwhile in France: Further camp news

Some news of the camps in France: In Bagnolet, near Paris, Bulgarian Rroma buried a man and his daughter who died during a fire; in Roubaix, in the North, activists take 60 Rroma to the sea; in Loos, also in the North, an article about the street with a prison, a Rroma camp and an unused land; while in Vaulx-en-Vélin, near Lyon, cohabitation seems to be difficult; and finally the MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peoples) denounces what they deem a “real harassment” of Rroma in Lyon.

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Travellers, Gitans, Roma, or the confusion of journalists

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Travellers, Gitans, Roma, or the confusion of journalists

An article about a few Rroma who stopped in a field near Payerne and had to leave as the field’s owner did not want them to stay highlights the misinformation and confusion among journalists:

The title uses “Gitans” – who are not travellers, by the way, and are found only in the South of France and Spain (also called Cale); the text uses “Gens du Voyage, i.e. Travellers, which can be Rroma but could also mean Jenische (Swiss travellers) or French Travellers; and finally the police states that these are most probably “Roma” from neighbouring France. We are just missing Sinti in this article to complete the confusion!

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High electric meters discriminate against Rroma

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High electric meters discriminate against Rroma

The European court of Justice has issued a warning against the Bulgarian electricity company which installed electric meters at a height that renders them inaccessible, this in a predominantly Rroma part of Dupnitsa. According to the court of justice, this constitutes “ethnic discrimination”.

France News Western Europe

School and Rroma: A trial in France

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Another report on the trial of a French mayor (we reported a while back) of the town of Sucy en Brie who was accused of having denied 5 Rroma children their right to education. The mayor was cleared of all charges, but the fact remains that Rroma children, without a formal housing document, as often denied education, in spite of French law.

A shame.

France News Western Europe

Volunteers in Rroma camps

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Volunteers in Rroma camps

Volunteers from a catholic organisation are taking care of children in a camp near Paris during July. Let’s see what this bring, but more than playing with the children will be required to close the issue of illegal camps in France.

France News Western Europe

Another report on the expulsions of the Ivry Camp

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Another report on the expulsions of the Ivry Camp

L’Humanité – the French communist newspaper – reports on the evictions of the large camp in Ivry and states that the state is devoid of means to help Rroma. One should also remind readers that expulsions have been requested by mayors of all political parties, including the communist one.

And one should also remind France that the migrant Rroma to which so much newspaper space is devoted are a small fraction of Rroma living in France.

France News Western Europe

French Summary …

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French Summary …

As usual in the summer, the expulsions continue in France. In Marseille, where the expulsed came back and were again expulsed; in Lilles; in Chelles; in Croix; in Ivry, Aubervillers, and Ris Orangis near Paris; in Nantes; while in Hautbourdin (North) and Bordeaux, Rroma can still stay for a while; and in Grenoble, the fate of the camp is now in the hands of the justice; and finally in Roubaix, a fire destroyed a camp.

France News Western Europe

4’000 Rroma expulsed in France

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4’000 Rroma expulsed in France

According Human Rights League, France expulsed nearly 4’000 Rroma from camps over the first 6 months of 2015.

One needs to bear other numbers in mind: 20’000 Rroma migrants live in such camps according to the French authorities. And there are roughly 500’000 Rroma in France. Again, there is a question of proportion: The press devotes all its news to less than a percent of Rroma overall in France!

France News Western Europe

Ivry: Pictures of an eviction

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Ivry: Pictures of an eviction

A series of pictures of the eviction of one of the Rroma camps that dot the outskirts of Paris.

In spite of the French focus on these camps and migrants, let’s not forget that these represent less than 20 thousand people whereas there are roughly 500 thousand Rroma in France. So a minority.

France News Western Europe

France: 5 years for shooting at burglars

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France: 5 years for shooting at burglars

René Gallinier, the retired Frenchman who shot at two teenage Rroma burglars a while back was sentenced to 5 years of prison, 4 of which on probation. As we already reported, he shot and wounded two girls who were robbing his house and his trial generated quite a buzz in the French press.

This is a mild sentence for something that easily could have resulted in a death.

 

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Travellers, Rroma, Sinti, Jenische

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Travellers, Rroma, Sinti, Jenische

Following requests for some camps for travellers in the region of Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, the unfortunately usual discussion about who is what started anew in the press. Who are Jenische (Swiss travellers, also present in France, Germany, Austria); Sinti, who in Switzerland are often intermarried with Jenische but otherwise come from France, Germany and Italy; Rroma, whom the Swiss understand as “Foreign Travellers”, who are mostly French and German Rroma etc…

France News Western Europe

Schools, children, expulsions …

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Schools, children, expulsions …

Meanwhile in France, the usual expulsions, defence, squats still make the headlines. In the University of Paris 8, the right for children to go to school is at the centre; in Ivry, near Paris, 73 families have to leave their camp; in the South West, two families are also expulsed; while in the Paris region, tensions are reported near a Rroma camp.

France News Western Europe

Lille, Martine Aubry, and Rroma

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Lille, Martine Aubry, and Rroma

A controversy in France regarding Martine Aubry the mayor of the Northern city of Lille: This socialist ex-minister reportedly consulted Rroma migrants on the issues they are facing. According to one of them, she “saw us, did what she wanted to do, and kicked us out”… So much for empathy and socialist ideals.

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