{"id":1765,"date":"2013-04-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/%20rroma.org\/26-04-2013-rroma-policy-in-france\/"},"modified":"2022-08-05T09:26:27","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T08:26:27","slug":"26-04-2013-rroma-policy-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rroma.org\/fr\/26-04-2013-rroma-policy-in-france\/","title":{"rendered":"26.04.2013 Rroma Policy in France"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Atlantico (2013) reports \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ton the latest undertakings of the right-wing opposition politician Marie Le \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPen, who gave a press conference in front of a Rroma camp in an industrial zone \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin the French department of Essonne. The leader of the National Front \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\temphasised that, should she be elected, she would eliminate all Rroma camps. She \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\talso criticised the center and left parties for opening France to eastern EU \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcountries, leading to a de facto abolition of borders. She stated she would organise \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta referendum that will lead to the end of the European Union.<\/p>\n

According to La D\u00e9p\u00eache \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(2013), some residents of the Rroma camp approached the crowds of journalists. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBut there were no public exchange between Le Pen and the Rroma. La D\u00e9p\u00eache \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\testimates that currently about 20,000 Rroma are live in around 400 informal \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcamps in France. The pastor Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Gatineau wanted to show the settlement to Le \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPen. \u00a0However, she quickly left the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tarea reflecting he entrenched prejudices against Rroma. Gatineau stated: \u201cJe \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpense que si elle rencontrait ces personnes, elle aurait peut-\u00eatre un autre \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdiscours. […] Je pense qu’elle aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 bien re\u00e7ue. Ils ne pas la \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconnaissent sp\u00e9cialement, ils n’ont pas d’a priori … J’\u00e9tais pr\u00eat \u00e0 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tl’accompagner mais elle est partie vite bien dans sa belle voiture noire. \u201c [I \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthink that had she met people, she would maybe have held another discourse. I \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthink she would have been well received. They do not know her and thus have no \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpre-conceived ideas about her \u2026 I was ready to go with her, but he left really \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfast in her nice black car]<\/p>\n

Rotman (2013) emphasizes \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tin his article that Le Pen defends her position without blinking. She argues \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat she doesn\u2019t stigmatize anybody, that she speaks of the reality that no one \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdare to mention. That Le Pen doesn\u2019t want to meet the people who are behind \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthis reality itself says a lot about her understanding of reality. Her position \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis the result of her convictions, beliefs and values, not of social reality.<\/p>\n

In \u201cLes Berges du Va\u201d in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNice, an illegal Romany camp will be evacuated. The head of the district, Eric \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCiotti, argues for the removal refererring to the public health and public \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsafety. Opponents counter this by saying that many of the local children were \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuccessfully enrolled in school and that to vacate the settlement is a step \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbackwards on the integration of Rroma. On the question of where the Rroma will \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgo after the eviction, Ciotti answers that this is the responsibility of the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgovernment. The judgment of the court on the eviction is expected in \u00a0the next two weeks (Binacchi 2013).<\/p>\n

In Bobigny, near Paris, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta fire destroyed part of a Rroma camp with about 250 residents. The cause of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe fire is unclear. Several barracks were destroyed. Investigations, whether \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tit was an arson act are running. Since January 2013, over 1000 Rroma in twelve \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdifferent localities \u00a0had to leave \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttheir camps because of fires or pogroms A political motivation behind the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tnumerous fires is therefore not unlikely (Lib\u00e9ration 2013).<\/p>\n

In Lyon, ten Rroma \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfamilies who were evicted from an illegal settlement, benefit from Catholic \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCare. The priest Matthieu Thouvenot decreed that the parish of Gerland should \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tprovide food and shelter to 50 Rroma from the disbanded settlement, half of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthem children. The local church hall was converted for this purpose into \u00a0housing. The local court ruled a few \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdays later that the prefecture should find permanent settlement for the evicted \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRroma or pay for a compensation of 75 euro per person and per day. In the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdistrict near Gerland there is a tradition of Catholic charity. Representatives \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tof the church are seeking dialogue with the French Ministry of the Interior, arguing \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthat the situation of Rroma needs to be viewed and managed in a more differentiated \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tway (Schittly 2013).<\/p>\n

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