{"id":1747,"date":"2014-05-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-24T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/25-05-2014-integration-of-rroma-in-france-remains-difficult\/"},"modified":"2022-08-04T11:48:20","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:48:20","slug":"25-05-2014-integration-of-rroma-in-france-remains-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/fr\/25-05-2014-integration-of-rroma-in-france-remains-difficult\/","title":{"rendered":"25.05.2014 Integration of Rroma in France remains difficult"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mouillard (2014) reports \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ton a Rroma integration village in the Indre that was initiated by the former \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmayor in cooperation with the local aid organization Romsi<\/em> (Rencontre Ouverture M\u00e9tissage Solidarit\u00e9 \u00e0 Indre). The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tflagship project, which shows mostly positive results, is now probably drawing \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto an end. The reason: at the last local elections, a populist candidate \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treplaced the incumbent mayor. During the election campaign, he promised to take \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\taction against immigrant Rroma. At the same time, the integration project showed \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thow they created positive experiences for all parties involved, by offering \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFrench courses, the enrolment of the children in school and other help. The \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\temployees of Romsi are particularly disappointed, since they are aware that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegration is a long process that would be set back by the closure of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tproject: \u201cFor the activist of Romsi, the track \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\trecord of the solidarity village still remains \u201cpositive\u201d. \u201cThe children are \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tenrolled in school, the rate of delinquency in the community has not risen. But \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpeople continue to talk [about it]. That is exasperating…\u201d Jean-Luc Le Drenn \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t[the former mayor] tries to remain optimistic: \u201cTo close this village would be \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\treally a failure. In any case, maybe the prefect will intervene to oppose to it? \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe experience works and the costs of the community are low.\u201d A rather rare mix \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin France, where the about 18,000 Roma are often forced to wander from one camp \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto the next\u201d <\/em>(Mouillard 2014). A distinctive feature of the integration \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tproject is the finding that those who were actively involved with the Rroma, clearly \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tshow less reservations about the minority than those who only speak about the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma or are bothered about the sight of informal settlements. Director Sophie \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAverty, who made a documentary about the integration village in Indre, shares \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthis insight. Of the original fifty families, only five could finally stay in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe integration project, but in return were actively assisted in looking for a \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tjob, the enrolment of the children in school, and in learning French: \u201cThe hateful and violent suggestions, you \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\theard them primarily during the arrival of the fifty Roma, above all when the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tparents of the children protested and spoke of the risks of transmission of scrabies \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand fleas … as if the little Frenchman had no fleas! […] Some people were \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvery hesitant, often through ignorance. Those who complain are those who have \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnever set foot into the village\u201d<\/em> (Mouillard 2014\/II). The problem of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tintegration projects that are specifically designed for Rroma is that they \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcause resentments about the special treatment of a specific group. It is therefore \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timportant to generally help people in difficult situations and not to talk \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\talways of a \u201cRroma problem\u201d or the \u201cRroma question\u201d. Such a focus fuels \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tresentments among groups who are also in economically difficult situations, as \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tone can see by means of the dubious success of the Front National, who repeatedly \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tabuses the Rroma as scapegoats for general societal grievances in France. Consequently, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarine Le Pen calls for an isolation of France after the model of Switzerland. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA very questionable development (compare Dumazert 2014, Le Monde 2014).<\/p>\n

EurActiv (2014) draws a first balance in respect to the projected mass \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\timmigration of Rroma from Bulgaria and Romania. So far, no increase of Rroma in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00cele-de-France region could be observed, says Laure Lechatellier, Vice-President \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the regional council. Due to fears of a mass migration to Western Europe, seven \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tyears of transitional provisions in 2007 were imposed on Romania and Bulgaria after \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttheir EU-accession. The free movement of workers since January 2014 now \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tguarantees all Romanians and Bulgarians, including the Rroma, free access to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe labour markets of the EU-member states. Because of structural problems, the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma have benefited only minimally from this opening: \u201cThe free circulation of workers has put an end to this system and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\topens another right: the one to enrol oneself at the employment office. But the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpopulation of Roma from Romania and Bulgaria on the \u00cele-de-France has not yet benefited \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom this possibility, due to structural discrimination. In France, the anti-Roma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsentiment has reached unprecedented levels. According to a study by the U.S. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthink tank Pew Research Center, 66% of French respondents declare a negative \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\topinion towards the Roma.\u201d <\/em>EurActiv thus points to the important fact that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfor a successful integration of the Rroma, not only a legal but also a social \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand societal equality is necessary. Such a one is still far from a reality, due \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto the negative attitudes towards the minority. <\/p>\n