Category Archives: France

Three articles which show what, collectively, the French politicians think of Roma. First, not surprising, a Front National member who made some borderline jokes about Roma, then , a Républicain who has been condemned (good, by the way) for his statements about Roma, and finally, a La France en Marche freshly elected parliament member who makes similar blanket statements about Roma.
SHAME TO ALL OF THEM

– “Quotidien” : la blague polémique d’un député FN sur les Roms. In: Closer. 22.06.2017. https://www.closermag.fr/politique/quotidien-la-blague-polemique-d-un-depute-fn-sur-les-roms-728544
– Montpellier : Domergue condamné au civil pour ses propos sur les Roms. In: Midi Libre. 22.06.2017. http://www.midilibre.fr/2017/06/22/montpellier-domergue-condamne-au-civil-pour-ses-propos-sur-les-roms,1525633.php
– Des «roms qui urinent n’importe où» : les propos d’une nouvelle députée LREM choquent la toile. In: Français RT. 21.06.2017. https://francais.rt.com/france/40091-roms-qui-urinent-nimporte-opetit
– Les propos polémiques de Claire O’Petit, nouvelle députée En Marche! et ex-grande gueule de RMC déterrés. In: Huffington Post. 20.06.2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2017/06/20/les-propos-polemiques-de-claire-opetit-nouvelle-deputee-en-mar_a_22491956/ [link-preview url=”https://www.closermag.fr/politique/quotidien-la-blague-polemique-d-un-depute-fn-sur-les-roms-728544 “]

Not many news lately. A good news for a change, with a camp in Aix en Provence, in the South of France where the city was condemned for its expulsion order, meaning the camp can stay for now; a camp in Montpellier where neighbours are complaining; an expulsion in Montreuil, near Paris; garbage on the site of a former camp also near Paris; another camp evacuated near Annecy in the French Alps; and finally a camp in Lille which was also closed.

– Une victoire inédite pour les Roms de Valcros. In: La Marseillaise. 22.06.2017. http://www.lamarseillaise.fr/marseille/faits-divers-justice/61460-une-victoire-inedite-pour-les-roms-de-valcros
– Montpellier : ce camp de roms qui fait fuir le voisinage. In: Midi Libre. 24.06.2017. http://www.midilibre.fr/2017/06/23/montpellier-ce-camp-de-roms-qui-fait-fuir-le-voisinage,1526304.php
– Montreuil: familles roms expulsées et eau en accès limité. In: Mediapart. 20.06.2017. https://blogs.mediapart.fr/juliette-keating/blog/200617/montreuil-familles-roms-expulsees-et-eau-en-acces-limite
– VIDEO. Yvelines : entre Carrières-sous-Poissy et Triel-sur-Seine, la plaine des déchets. In: Le Parisien. 19.06.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/triel-sur-seine-78510/carrieres-sous-poissy-triel-sur-seine-la-plaine-des-dechets-19-06-2017-7067088.php
– Annecy: un camp de Roms évacué à Vovray. In: L’essor Savoyard. 23.06.2017. http://www.lessorsavoyard.fr/annecy-et-sa-region/annecy-un-camp-de-roms-evacue-a-vovray-ia938b939n183943
– Le camp de Roms derrière le Stadium Lille Métropole évacué. In: La Voix du Nord. 20.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/180799/article/2017-06-20/le-camp-de-roms-derriere-le-stadium-lille-metropole-evacue [link-preview url=”https://blogs.mediapart.fr/juliette-keating/blog/200617/montreuil-familles-roms-expulsees-et-eau-en-acces-limite “]

Not surprisingly, with the legislative elections in full swing, there are very little news about Roma in France: One article on the camps in the city of Lilles, in the North; the story of a squat in the same region; and, alas, Breizh Info again. The latter on prostitution – insisting on the ethnicity of the prostitutes and the pimps.

– Roms : ces bidonvilles qu’on ne voit même plus. In: La Voix du Nord. 13.05.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/177558/article/2017-06-13/roms-ces-bidonvilles-qu-ne-voit-meme-plus
– Une poignée d’appartements occupés, le dernier souffle de la barre Marcel-Bertrand. In: La Voix du Nord. 17.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/179176/article/2017-06-17/une-poignee-d-appartements-occupes-le-dernier-souffle-de-la-barre-marcel
– Un réseau de prostitution démantelé à Nantes. In: Breizh Infos. 12.06.2017. http://www.breizh-info.com/2017/06/12/71739/reseau-de-prostitution-demantele-a-nantes [link-preview url=”http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/177558/article/2017-06-13/roms-ces-bidonvilles-qu-ne-voit-meme-plus “]

There has been much less news lately in France about Roma. Whereas there used to be many articles in the Press, there are now much less, which is good.
In Bobigny, near Paris, the camp can stay for the time being. In Triel-Carrièrres, in the Paris region, a camp is not that lucky and will be closed. In addition, a fire – probably of criminal nature burnt part of the camp. In Valmy, in North Eastern France, another camp was closed. In the North, in Roubaix, another camp was evacuated while the justice declared an eviction of Roma to have been illegal and finally, in Lille, several of the owners of the land on which a camp is located went to court to force an evacuation.

– Bobigny : un sursis pour les familles du campement rom. In: Le Parisien. 09.06.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/bobigny-93000/bobigny-un-sursis-pour-les-familles-du-campement-rom-09-06-2017-7035054.php
– Bobigny. Les Roms en appellent à la justice. In: L’Humanité. 07.06.2017. http://www.humanite.fr/bobigny-les-roms-en-appellent-la-justice-637017
– Bobigny : les Roms se concertent après l’arrêté d’évacuation. In: Le Parisien. 26.05.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/bobigny-93000/bobigny-les-roms-se-concertent-apres-l-arrete-d-evacuation-26-05-2017-6986658.php
– Triel-Carrières : les quatre camps des Roms bientôt fermés. In: Le Parisien. 31.05.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/carrieres-sous-poissy-78955/triel-carrieres-les-quatre-camps-des-roms-bientot-fermes-31-05-2017-7002666.php
– Incendie criminel dans le camp de Roms. In: 78 Actu. 16.05.2017. http://www.78actu.fr/incendie-criminel-dans-le-camp-de-roms_49184/
– APRÈS LE DÉMANTÈLEMENT DU CAMP VALMY, LES ROMS LOGÉS PROVISOIREMENT AU GYMNASE. In: Place Grenet. 25.05.2017. http://www.placegrenet.fr/2017/05/25/apres-le-demantelement-du-camp-valmy-les-roms-loges-provisoirement-au-gymnase/139630
– Le camp de Roms du quai de Bordeaux évacué ce vendredi matin. In: La Voix du Nord. 19.05.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/165127/article/2017-05-19/le-camp-de-roms-du-quai-de-bordeaux-evacue-ce-vendredi-matin
– Une décision de justice donne raison à la famille rom, a posteriori. In: La Voix du Nord. 06.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/173795/article/2017-06-06/une-decision-de-justice-donne-raison-la-famille-rom-posteriori
– L’occupation de la ferme de l’Éperonnerie encore en débat au tribunal. In: La Voix du Nord. 08.06.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/175060/article/2017-06-08/l-occupation-de-la-ferme-de-l-eperonnerie-encore-en-debat-au-tribunal
– Trois procédures en attente pour l’expulsion de camps de Roms. In: La Voix du Nord. 18.05.2017. http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/164737/article/2017-05-18/trois-procedures-en-attente-pour-l-expulsion-de-camps-de-roms [link-preview url=”http://www.leparisien.fr/bobigny-93000/bobigny-un-sursis-pour-les-familles-du-campement-rom-09-06-2017-7035054.php “]

What does it mean nowadays to be Rom in France? Well, they are largely segregated and isolated. Stern reading.

– The politics of being Roma in France. In: Open Democracy. 02.06.2016. https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/radost-zaharieva/politics-of-being-roma-in-france [link-preview url=”https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/radost-zaharieva/politics-of-being-roma-in-france”]

A French TV reportage on the pilgrimage is Southern France.

– SAINTES-MARIES-DE-LA-MER : DÉBUT DU PÈLERINAGE DES GITANS EN CHANSON. In: LCI. 24.05.2017. http://www.lci.fr/lifestyle/saintes-maries-de-la-mer-debut-du-pelerinage-des-gitans-en-chanson-2053081.html [link-preview url=”http://www.lci.fr/lifestyle/saintes-maries-de-la-mer-debut-du-pelerinage-des-gitans-en-chanson-2053081.html”]

The yearly pilgrimage of Saintes Marie de la Mer is starting today and will last two days.

– Gypsy’s Pilgrimage in Les Saintes Maries de la Mer. In: Avignon-Provence. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/traditions/gypsys-pilgrimage-saintes-maries-de-mer [link-preview url=”http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/traditions/gypsys-pilgrimage-saintes-maries-de-mer”]

Angelo Garand, a French Manouche from the Orléans region in Francewas killed by the police in April. The police was looking for him as he had failed to return to prison after a leave (he was condemned for two years following burglaries).
The police commando who killed him claimed he threw himself on them.
The family wants now to get full transparency on what really happened and on why he was killed. They need support – help them too!

– https://www.leetchi.com/c/solidarite-de-aurelie-garand
– See also: https://www.facebook.com/Justice-Pour-Angelo-1307118499372039/?fref=ts
– For background material: For example Libération 27.05.2017. http://www.liberation.fr/france/2017/04/27/emoi-apres-la-mort-d-un-detenu-en-cavale_1565873 [link-preview url=”https://www.leetchi.com/c/solidarite-de-aurelie-garand “]

An evening centred on Rroma was organised in Montreuil, a northern suburb of Paris with quite a few Rroma. There was a debate on integration, and Anina Ciuciu, a young Rromni and a law student in Paris, provided the best example possible: Give them a chance, and it will happen!

– Montreuil : le courageux témoignage d’Anina Ciuciu, Rom et élève avocate. In: Le Parisien. 23.04.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/montreuil-93100/montreuil-le-courageux-temoignage-d-anina-ciuciu-rom-et-eleve-avocate-23-04-2017-6879675.php
– Montreuil : débat et soirée festive grâce à Rom Réussite. In: Le Parisien. 21.04.2017. http://www.leparisien.fr/montreuil-93100/montreuil-debat-et-soiree-festive-grace-a-rom-reussite-21-04-2017-6874812.php [link-preview url=”http://www.leparisien.fr/montreuil-93100/montreuil-le-courageux-temoignage-d-anina-ciuciu-rom-et-eleve-avocate-23-04-2017-6879675.php “]

It seems that many municipalities and officials in France are using the distraction of the upcoming presidential election to evict Rroma disregarding any procedures and laws…
Bad, but unfortunately not surprising.

– “Im Wahlkampf ungehemmt gegen Roma hetzen”. In: ZDF. 18.04.2017. http://www.heute.de/frankreich-im-wahlkampf-gegen-roma-hetzen-46972724.html [link-preview url=”http://www.heute.de/frankreich-im-wahlkampf-gegen-roma-hetzen-46972724.html”]

The mayor of the small town of Fontaine, near Grenoble, has decided to ask justice to intervene following the comments of one of the members of the council, the Front National member Franck Sinisi who had proposed to remove gold teeth from Rroma to pay for their lodgings.
This time it seems that the extreme right party is acting fast to limit collateral damage, probably due to the upcoming presidential elections.

– “Récupérer les dents en or” des Roms: le maire de Fontaine, en Isère, veut saisir la justice. In: FR3 Auvergne Rohne Alpes. 30.03.2017. http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/isere/recuperer-dents-roms-maire-fontaine-isere-veut-saisir-justice-1223999.html
– Thibaut Monnier, patron du FN en Isère : “Quand il y a une brebis galeuse, on s’en occupe tout de suite”. In: France Bleu. 30.03.2017. https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/politique/thibaut-monnier-secretaire-du-fn-en-isere-quand-il-y-une-brebis-galeuse-s-en-occupe-tout-de-suite-1490855095 [link-preview url=”https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/politique/thibaut-monnier-secretaire-du-fn-en-isere-quand-il-y-une-brebis-galeuse-s-en-occupe-tout-de-suite-1490855095″]

An article pondering whether the integration of Rroma in France is truly impossible (it is clearly not) and bemoaning the lack of debate on this issue during the current presidential election campaign.

– Intégration des Rroms en France, mission (im)possible ? In: Respect Mag. 27.03.2017. http://www.respectmag.com/26935-integration-rroms-france-impossible [link-preview url=”http://www.respectmag.com/26935-integration-rroms-france-impossible”]