In Montreuil, north of Paris, a new integration policy is being put in place.
About time!
Xavier Bertrand, deputy mayor of Saint-Quentin in the North of France affirmed that travellers had military weapons. The former ministers wants to disarm them to prevent violence like the recent murder in a camp in the north of France.
This is definitively DAFT! But the Figaro went a step further…
While saying that no, travellers have no military weapons, it manages to say that all Rroma are stealing and dealing with stolen goods. Nice generalisation.
UNACCEPTABLE!
Following Saturday’s blocking of the A1 highway by Rroma, the French Press is full of articles on that action. Stress is on why they were allowed to do so, and on the costs. The real question namely why it went that far doesn’t seem to be asked by anyone.
An article in the Figaro is attempting to clarify the distinction between Travellers (Gens du Voyage in French), Rroma, and other “Tsiganes”…
While the Figaro is right to say that Traveller is a legal statute, at least in France, for the rest, the Figaro is utterly confused …
Let’s put it straight: Not all Travellers are Rroma, only a small portion of Rroma are travelling, and Rroma encompasses many different groups who often, like the Sinti prefer to use their group’s name instead of the generic Rroma one.
The British tabloid press had a field day protesting against the “Roma gypsies” who blocked the A1 last Saturday. We wonder why they feel the need to write “Roma gypsies”, after all, these are usually referring to the same people.
Time for the British tabloid press to review how they report on minorities…
Besides the closure of the Rroma camp in la Courneuve and the shooting in the North of France, there have been other news on France this week. A camp had to make space for an integration project in Deuil la Barre; life goes on in the North in Lille; and eexpulsed Rroma who had to leave their integration village are spending their 35th night in tents in St. Ouen.
Following the shooting at a camp in Northern France, French Rroma blocked the A1 highway in a protest, amongst other, to ask for the son of one of the victims to be temporarily released from jail to attend his father’s funeral.
First reactions to the closure of the camp in la Courneuve.
The oldest Rroma camp near Paris was dismantled yesterday by the French police in spite of the petition and support from many people. 200 Rroma were evicted.
This is NOT a solution.
Apparently, the killer, a 73 years old man, was drunk (2.28 g per litre) and held a grudge against the family. For once, the press is quite restrictive in citation of ethnic origins in this drama. Good, as people’s origins have nothing to do with this tragic event.
At least 4 people, among which a man, a woman, a 6 months old child, and a policeman were killed in cold blood at a Rroma camp in France. There seem to some wounded policemen. The Gunman was shot by the police and is in custody. No reason was given. It is not even clear if the attacker was Rrom or someone else.
An overview of the latest developments in Lille, in Northern France.
Romanian Police is patrolling Paris to “protect” against the “Rroma criminality”. Officially, this is to have people speaking Romanian. But the Romanian police has a very bad track record of racism against Rroma…
Dangerous.
Some other French news …
Around 40 Rroma from Romania and Bulgaria are currently camping the castle’s park. This is common in France, with the illegal camps, but is definitively new in Germany. To be watched.
Some more news from the French migration scene… The Church in St. Ouen; expulsion in Grenoble; reprieve in Roubaix; and an article of what happened after an eviction.
France’s oldest slum in la Courneuve near Paris is soon going to be dismantled. Its 300 inhabitants face an uncertain future.
A young Hungarian / Romanian Rrom in la Courneuve is fighting against the looming expulsion that threaten his camp with the help of several associations; and a mobilisation of neighbours to prevent the expulsion of Rroma in Lille in the North of France.
A few French stories: One on integration in the North; one on mobilisation in Lilles; and one of a camp that was abandoned close to Paris.
As usual, a chronicle of the usual evictions, reactions, and other things happening in France in the context of camps and migrants. In Metz, the North East of France, a collective is accusing the police of harassment against Rroma; in Paris, a 5 years young Rrom dies, crushed by a lorry; in Toulouse, a camp will be evicted soon; a paper that is notably biased against Rroma publishes news on theft of gasoil by Rroma; and finaly in Toulose, the mayor and the opposition are all in agreement to have stopped the second integration village for Rroma in Paleficat.
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