13.06.2014 Marseille: forced eviction of Rroma settlement is imminent

Several French newspapers report about the imminent eviction of an informal Rroma-settlement in Marseille. Around four hundred Rroma, including many children, would be affected by the planned eviction. Several aid organizations protested against the plans of the prefecture. The request for a moratorium on evictions was rejected by the administration. Paul Kopp, president of Rencontres Tziganes, criticized in a statement that the expulsion policy pushes the Rroma from one camp to the next, but changes nothing to their long-term situation. A moratorium on evictions would allow them to plan and implement a long-term integration. Civallero (2014) summarizes: “According to the prefecture, the population of the Roma in Marseille amounts to 1,200 to 1,300 people. In 26 areas settlements have formed, since the beginning of the year, five evictions took place, according to the organizations. In October last year, the largest camp in Marseille was evicted, located in the quarter Capelette of the 10th arrondissement, many families subsequently settled on the site of La Parette.” – In fact, it’s astonishing how persistently the French authorities evict the informal settlements at regular intervals, although new settlements are create shortly thereafter. Long-term solutions are needed. These depend primarily on the will of the policy makers. Does one give the Rroma the opportunity to integrate, or does one continue to marginalize them? Integration is a process that requires concessions and efforts from both sides, the migrants and society, respectively the state. Already last winter, the camp of La Parette was targeted, but at that time, the eviction was successfully prevented. Now the organizations and residents of the camp want to draw attention to the concerns of the Rroma with a poster campaign. The posters show the residents of the camp and ask the observer what are his/her thoughts towards the evictions (compare Delabroy 2014 Miguet 2014).