{"id":1337,"date":"2013-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/02-08-2013-rroma-debate-in-france\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:43:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:43:09","slug":"02-08-2013-rroma-debate-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/fr\/02-08-2013-rroma-debate-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"02.08.2013 Rroma Debate in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lazerges (2013) does \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnot want to cast the informal Rroma settlements and their evictions as a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcultural problem, as many French politicians do, but as a problem of poverty. Lazerges \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcriticises that there is not enough affordable housing for people with low to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvery low income. Although the eviction of illegal settlements are usually \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tlawful, because the houses were built without a permit, they violate the right \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto housing, a due to every human being. In addition, the barriers to access \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\teducation, health care and social protection are still very high, rendering a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuccessful integration of Rroma more difficult, \u201c<\/em>Mais la lev\u00e9e seulement \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpartielle des mesures transitoires applicables aux citoyens roumains et \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbulgares est inacceptable et pr\u00e9judiciable \u00e0 leur insertion. Nous souhaitons \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tla lev\u00e9e imm\u00e9diate et compl\u00e8te des mesures transitoires, afin de permettre notamment \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taux personnes roms de trouver un emploi, pierre angulaire de l’insertion<\/em>\u201d \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t[The partial removal of transitory measures applicable to Romanian and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBulgarian citizen is unacceptable and constitutes a prejudice against their \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegration. We wish the immediate and complete removal of these transitory \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmeasures to allow, among others the Rroma, to find work, a keystone for their \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinsertion.]<\/em> Lazerges \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfurther calls for a clear distancing from the defamatory statements made by \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsome French politicians that are clearly influenced by the impending Municipal \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\telections. On should much more strive for a clear commitment to a real policy \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twas that promotes the integration of the Rroma.<\/p>\n

Leroy \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) reports on Rroma families in Le Havre, who, with the assistance of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcollective\u00a0 \u201cH\u00e9bergement, l\u2019urgence \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tc\u2019est maintenant\u201d are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbeing granted accommodation in various communes. Although families are being \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfragmented, the 64 Rroma, including 44 children, according to Leroy, are rather \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcheering this. On the 16th of July, the families were evicted from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttheir camp, a plot of the fire brigade of the Eure and had then settled behind \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Church of Saint-Augustin.<\/p>\n

Piquemal \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) spoke with Alain R\u00e9gnier, the person responsible for the access to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thousing for the homeless or poorly lodged people (D\u00e9l\u00e9gation interminist\u00e9rielle \u00e0 l’h\u00e9bergement et \u00e0 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tl’acc\u00e8s au logement des personnes sans abri ou mal log\u00e9s; DIHAL). R\u00e9gnier looking at the politics \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tunder Nicolas Sarkozy who applied an extreme security policy towards Rroma, sees \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta shift towards more constructive approaches. While the inter-ministerial \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tletter from Jean-Marc Ayrault is still far from being applied in its effective \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprinciples, it is nevertheless getting some movement. R\u00e9gnier argues for a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdifferentiated policy towards the Romanian and Bulgarian Rroma in France: \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFirstly, one must promote successful integration which improves the often very \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoor French skills which would facilitate access to education and housing; and on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe other hand one has to promote an intelligent, bilateral policy with Romania \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttowards their integration at home itself and also in support of a possible \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn. He does not see the difficult access to the labour market as the major cause \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfor the lack of integration. In addition, the French population must be better \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinformed about the history and culture of the Rroma. R\u00e9gnier still sees to many \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcommon misconceptions: many still do not know that there is a difference \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbetween the “Gens du voyage” and the Rroma. An important part of his \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tjob is to deconstruct stereotypes and prejudices and counteract.<\/p>\n

Mam\u00e8re \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) criticizes the French Rroma policies as being openly racist: both the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tright and the left parties are, with regards to their treatment of Rroma, very \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trestrictive and undifferentiated. While with right-wing politicians like \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJean-Marie Le Pen, Bourdouleix or Christian Estrosi racial prejudice prevails, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tleading to a denial of individual differences and a stigmatisation of the Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpopulation that needs to be disciplined or expelled, politicians of the left as \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tManuel Valls are driven by a zealous planning policy, which led the Hollande government \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto an approximate doubling of forced evictions: \u201cSous \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpr\u00e9texte de faire respecter l\u2019Etat de droit, il [Manuel Valls] pr\u00e9sente les \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcamps de Roms comme des zones de non-droit [\u2026] <\/em>En utilisant la justice \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcomme arme de sa politique \u00e0 deux vitesses, il installe dans l\u2019opinion de la \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgauche et des d\u00e9mocrates l\u2019id\u00e9e que les Roms sont une cat\u00e9gorie de la \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpopulation \u00e0 mettre au ban de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9.<\/em>\u201d [Under \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe pretext to enforce the respect of the rights, he [Manuel Valls] presents \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Rroma camps like zones without laws. \u2026 Using justice as a weapon for his \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttwo speed policies, he instils in the opinion of the left and of the democrats \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe idea that Rroma are a population category that needs to be banned from \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsociety.]<\/em> For Mam\u00e8re, Rroma are instrumentalised by many politicians, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\twhether from the right or from left, for purposes of policy: They propagate the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tincompatibility of Rroma life with that of the French. He regards these \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpolicies as a historical repetition of past practices of exclusion, especially \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe stigmatization of Jews from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Until \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1969, the Rroma in France had to carry an anthropometric passport with them. Tthe \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttask of politicians is precisely to allow and ensure the coexistence of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdifferent ways of life, and not to suppress it. To this plea of \u200b\u200bMam\u00e8re we fully \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tagree. However, he involuntarily presents cultural difference between Rroma and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrench, where almost none actually exists: He speaks almost continuously of Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tas travellers, whereas most of them are not. The French \u201cGens du voyage\u201d are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tusually French citizen who do not speak Rromanes.<\/p>\n

Hugues \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) describes the French Rroma policies as a disgrace for a country that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsees itself as the cradle of human rights. In recent years, French policies \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttowards Rroma were repeatedly condemned as inhumane by both the UN and the EU. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrance must seek a rapid paradigm shift, if it does not want to lose its legacy \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof tolerance. At the end of July 2013, there have been physical attacks on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma in which several were seriously injured. The targeted surveillance policies \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tadvocated by Estrosi are another step backwards in the effort towards more \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttolerance and integration as an alternative to repression and expulsion.<\/p>\n

Duquesne \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) also sees the French population policies towards Rroma as increasingly \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taggressive. At the end of July, two residents of a Rroma camp were seriously \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinjured in an attack by an armed mob of fifteen people in Saint-Denis. The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnumbers of evictions increase, Estrosi and like-minded want to prevent the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taccession of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area, which would result in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe freedom of movement with the rest of the EU.<\/p>\n

Abdul (2013) reportes on \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta dispute over water in Wissous, in the Essonne department. The Mayor of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWissous, R\u00e9gis Roy Chevalier, on 6 July 2013, turned off \u00a0three of five hydrants that are close to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta Rroma camp.. This after the inhabitants of the camp had tapped the hydrants \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdue to lack of a water supply. Thereupon ensued a debate around the question as \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto whether, in the case of lack of water supply water may be illegally tapped. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhile green politicians like Marie-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Brelaud describe Roy Chevaliers \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tapproach as obscene, \u00a0the Social \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDemocrat decidedly does not want to be seen as a sympathizer of right-wing \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpoliticians. He sees himself as a representative of the residents of Wissous \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand whose will he enforces by the means of law: \u201cM. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRoy-Chevalier, le maire de Wissous, souhaite \u201ese diff\u00e9rencier de toutes ces \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpersonnes\u201c. A l’en croire, cette d\u00e9cision ne rel\u00e8ve pas de son autorit\u00e9 de \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmaire, mais de celle de la communaut\u00e9 d’agglom\u00e9ration, dont il est \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvice-pr\u00e9sident… \u201eMon premier parti, c’est Wissous. Je sais que certains \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpartis bien-pensants estiment que l’on peut s’occuper des populations en \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsituation ill\u00e9gale avant les autres. Pas moi\u201c, se d\u00e9fend M. Roy-Chevalier.<\/em>\u201d [ \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tM. Roy Chevalier, Wissous\u2019 mayor wishes \u201cto differenciate himself from all \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthese people\u201d. If he is to be believed, this decision is not a consequence of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\this mayor\u2019 office, but is the responsibility of the community of agglomeration \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof which he is the vice-president\u2026 \u201cMy first party, is Wissous. I know that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcertain politically correct parties think that one should take care of illegal \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpopulation first, I don\u2019t\u201d.]<\/em> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWith this statement, Chevalier cuts himself away from a humanism that is ready \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto break the rules when it is for the better of those concerned.<\/p>\n

Fouteau \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013) interviewed the French ethnologist Michel Agier, on the question of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trelationship between ethnicity and nationalism. Agier sees France policies \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttoward Rroma as part of a state policy that deliberately defines itself in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontrast to outsiders, and these outsiders – the Rroma \u2013 are consciously \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\texploited for one\u2019s own identity definition. In addition, from the perspective \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the nation state, the state\u2019s borders are strengthened by the assignment of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclear categories to various population groups. He describes this assignment of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclear categories as a dominant act that intentionally generates distance and provides \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe justification for eventual the deprivation of rights: \u201cDans le contexte de la mondialisation, les Roms, ou plut\u00f4t ceux qui sont \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\td\u00e9sign\u00e9s comme tels, sont utiles au pouvoir. Au moment o\u00f9 les \u00c9tats-nations \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tp\u00e9riclitent, o\u00f9 la crise \u00e9conomique fragilise les soci\u00e9t\u00e9s \u201coccidentales\u201d, les \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgouvernants ont besoin de ce nom pour cr\u00e9er un dehors. Ils ont besoin de faire \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcroire \u00e0 leur alt\u00e9rit\u00e9 absolue, de les constituer en \u00e9tranger ennemi, pour \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfaire exister leurs fronti\u00e8res. Expulser des Roms est une mani\u00e8re de produire \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tde la nationalit\u00e9, tout comme expulser des Afghans ou reconduire \u00e0 la fronti\u00e8re \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdes migrants venus d\u2019Afrique.<\/em>\u201d [In the context of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmondialisation, the Rroma, or rather those who are thus labelled, are useful to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe power in place. At a time where nation-states are collapsing, where the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\teconomical crisis fragilises occidental societies, the rulers need this name to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcreate an outside. The need to make believe in their absolute otherness, to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconstitute them as foreign foes in other to make their own borders exist. To \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\texpulse Rroma is a way to create nationality, exactly as is the expulsion of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAfghans or to send back migrants from Africa.] <\/em>However Agiers analysis does \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnot go far enough, as he considers Rroma only in terms of methodological \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnationalism. But Klaus-Michael Bogdal has shown in his detailed deconstruction \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof stereotypes and prejudices against Rroma that these are not a phenomenon of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tindividual nation-states, but a problem of Europe as a whole. But Agier is \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcorrect in that it is at the level of national policies that attention these \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcategories exists.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n