22.10.2014 Le Monde: will the new anti-terrorism law be interpreted to the disadvantage of the Rroma immigrants?

Johannès (2014) reports on the adoption of a new anti-terrorism law in France, which, according to proponents of minority rights, could be interpreted to the disadvantage of Rroma immigrants. The critics worry about the vagueness of the statutory amendment, which could be interpreted very widely. Under certain circumstances they could prevent Rroma immigrants from entering the country: “The wording is so broad that the organizations ask if the text is not particularly aimed at Roma. Just deported, they come back again. From now on, one could ban them from re-entering. The ministry is shocked about the suspicion. The anti-terrorism law is reviewed under time pressure, that is, with a single session per chamber: the National Assembly, which adopted the law on September 18th, did not even hear about the statutory amendment in question. It is set right behind the first article, which wants to prohibit all French citizens to leave the territory, if there are reasons to believe that the person goes “to a field of operation of a terrorist groups, and leads to sensitive conditions, which could adversely affect the public safety upon the persons return.” It is difficult to estimate, whether this statutory amendment could actually be used to declare Rroma immigrants a threat to public safety, and therefore prohibit them re-entry in the future. It is to hope that French politics as well as the justice insists on a precise implementation of the new law. Since the “Grenoble-discourse” of Nicolas Sarkozy, there have indeed been repeated attempts by French domestic politics to make immigrated Rroma return to their home countries as fast as possible. At the same time, it is often forgotten that already now an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 Rroma are integrated in France. The assumed 15,000 Rroma, who indeed live in informal settlements, and which receive all the medial attention, only account for a minority of the minority.