{"id":1358,"date":"2013-10-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/04-10-2013-rroma-polemic-in-france\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:48:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:48:42","slug":"04-10-2013-rroma-polemic-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/de\/04-10-2013-rroma-polemic-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"04.10.2013 Rroma Polemic in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Francois \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHollande, in a public statement, asked his ministers decidedly to end the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontroversy on Rroma. According to the government spokesman Najat Vallaud \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBelkacem,\u00a0 Hollande pointed out \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat \u201csolidarity, unity and responsibility\u201d was expected from the ministers. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHollande also considered it unworthy that he had to point out the problematic \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof this issue to the deputies. The home minister Duflot had asked Hollande for \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta statement after Valls racist abuse (TAZ 2013).<\/p>\n

ORF (2013) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoints out that the criticism of the EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe French Rroma policies led to strong expressions of antipathy towards the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEuropean Union. The President of the French National Assembly, Claude Bartolone, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcalled, Viviane Reding the \u201cMother with the whip.\u201d Even before Reding\u2019s \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcriticism, a spokesman for the EU Commissions had pointed out that violations \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby France of EU law, in this case of the non-compliance to the freedom of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmovement, would not be tolerated. The behaviour of some EU countries towards \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma is not worthy of the 21st Century. Manuel Valls, who is clearly belonging \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto the right wing of the socialist party, had to endure heavy criticism from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\this own party. Valls meanwhile insists on a rigorous order policy. He stated: \u201cIt is our responsibility to ensure that the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcentre of our cities, in the middle of residential areas and in the middle of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe capital no such camps and misery housing does not occur.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Radio \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDreyeckland (2013) spoke with Marion Cadier who wrote a report for Amnesty \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInternational on the forced evictions of Rroma camps in France. The report \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconcludes that since the last review in 2012, the situation of Rroma has not \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timproved. The number of evictions of informal camps has even increased. This \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpractice is also contrary to human rights conventions, since they violate the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tright to housing, as people living there are made homeless. Although the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcircular of August 2012 is a progress, it had only been applied very poorly. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe evictions render the Rroma integration more difficult and has produced many \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmore homeless people. Temporary lodging in hotel rooms is also a poor \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\talternative because they usually lie in the periphery of the cities and make \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tschooling and social networking difficult. Among more positive points, one \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnotes the abolition of a hiring fee for Romanians and Bulgarians and the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprovision of funds for integration projects. She also emphasizes that expulsion \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tare falsely referring to the nomadic lifestyle of the Rroma.<\/p>\n

Hopquin \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) reports on a trial of seven Croatian Rroma indicted in France for child \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttrafficking and incitement to crimes. The case reinforces widespread \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstereotypes about organised delinquency among the Rroma. The defendants had \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tacted under the leadership of a 66 year old woman and dealt in groups of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tchildren were to commit thefts for the buyer in France. Hopquin makes no effort \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto relate the events real events, but uses the presumptuous \u201ccultural \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treproduction\u201d, in which organized crime which the defendant had assimilated is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpresented as part of the Rroma culture.<\/p>\n

Manuel \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tValls statements about, in his opinion, non-integration capabilities of Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tled to different statements by government officials. While the rightist \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdeputies showed great sympathy for Valls and his Rroma policies, in his own \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tparty, the socialist party his statements are controversial. But not to all. Significant \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tparts of the left is in favour of a repressive policy towards the Rroma. Valls himself, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmeanwhile, has never apologised for his remarks, but merely regretted how they had \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbeen interpreted (Le Parisien).<\/p>\n

In a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlinguistically brilliant letter, Lefort (2013) appeals to Manuel Valls. Lefort \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdescends from Spanish Kale. He asks Valls to remind himself that he immigrated \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twith his family to France and became a French citizen in 1982, and that many \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrench have an immigrant background. That migration usually occurs for a valid reason \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand is not a lifestyle. He pleads that Valls should not abandon the historical \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresponsibility that one has towards the Rroma as victims of National Socialism. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn addition, many French Rroma fought in the resistance against the Nazis and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Franco regime. This also should not be forgotten. To assign them a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201ctendency\u201d towards return to Romania and Bulgaria, negates the reason for their \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tarrival: The lack of recognition as a minority of Statea and populationa. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLefort observes: \u201cLa guerre mondiale est venue. Et les camps nazis se \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsont aussi ouverts aux Tziganes. Tu le sais. Mais un nombre \u00e9norme de \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManouches, de Gitans et d\u2019Espagnols se sont engag\u00e9s dans la R\u00e9sistance sur le \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsol fran\u00e7ais. Ton p\u00e8re aurait pu en \u00eatre […] je te demande le respect absolu \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpour celles et ceux qui se sont engag\u00e9s dans la R\u00e9sistance contre le \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfranquisme, puis ensuite contre le nazisme et le fascisme. Contre ceux qui \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tavaient fait Guernica. Et pourtant, \u00e0 te suivre, ils avaient \u00abvocation\u00bb \u00e0 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretourner ou \u00e0 rester dans leur pays d\u2019origine, ces \u00ab\u00e9trangers, et nos fr\u00e8res \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpourtant…\u00bb\u201d [World War came. And Nazi camps were also \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\topened for Gypsies. You know it. But a huge number of Manouche, Gypsies and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSpaniards enrolled in the Resistance on the French soil. Your father could have \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbeen among them […] I ask you for absolute respect for those who were engaged \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin the resistance against Franco, then against Nazism and fascism. Against \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthose who did Guernica. Yet, to listen to you, they have a \u00a0“vocation” to return to or \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tremain in their country of origin, these “strangers, and yet our brothers…”]<\/em><\/p>\n

Conan (2013) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoints out that Valls statements are almost exactly the same as the ones made \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlast August by Louis Souchal, the confidant of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLouis Souchal is also convinced that many of the Romanian and Bulgarian Rroma do \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnot want to integrate in France, but only came here to improve their financial \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsituation as stated in an interview: \u201cLes migrants roumains \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsont en effet sur des migrations pendulaires organis\u00e9es. Leur but est de venir \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ten France pour gagner de l’argent puis de rentrer en Roumanie construire une \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaison (\u2026) D’ailleurs, il faut \u00e9viter de penser qu’il s’agit “d’int\u00e9grer \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tles Roms”, on int\u00e8gre seulement “des familles”. On s’en aper\u00e7oit \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlors des diagnostics sur les campements avant les expulsions. R\u00e9cemment, sur un \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tterrain o\u00f9 il y avait 22 familles, seules deux pr\u00e9sentaient vraiment des signes \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tde projets en France.\u201d [Romanian migrants are indeed engaged \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin pendular migration. Their goal is to come to France to earn money and then \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn to Romania to build a house (…) Indeed, we must avoid thinking that it \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis about “to integrate Roma”, one only integrates “families”. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis can be seen in the diagnostics in the camps before the evictions. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRecently, in an place where there were 22 families, only two really showed \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsigns of having projects in France.] \u00a0<\/em>It \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis still unclear on which sources Souchal bases his statements. They stand in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontrast to statements made by engaged people such as Lefort, who observe a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmigration due to lack of integration and lack of future prospects. At the same \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttime it is also known that transnational relations with the home country can \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlead to a better integration in the host country and is not simply, as is now represented, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0an evidence of a lack of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twillingness to integrate.<\/p>\n

The Mayor \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof Lille, Martine Aubry, meanwhile, calls for a consistent way of applying the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcircular of August 2012, requesting a timely information of the stakeholders, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe organisation of alternative accommodation options and a better distribution \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof Rroma across the country. To put the people on the street, Aubry criticises, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbring nothing and complicates the integration (Pagura 2013).<\/p>\n

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