France expelling Roma communities by Milota Sidorova

Back to the history of Gypsies, one finds out they were always on the move. Moving nation, people without home and home everywhere. For centuries western system tried to seduce them and in many ways it succeeded. The system of owning a land, paying taxes and obeying more and more complicated rules certainly destroyed much of Gypsy culture. But once we look back, we find out that even our grandparents remeber living side by side with them. Feared, uneducated, perhaps criminals – that's what has remained of Gypsy image in many European countries.The blame falls on heads of both sides, in many troubled regions domestic population doesn't want to understand another way of! life, values and approaches, but on the other side, many Gypsy settlements and communities gave up everything positive their culture had and like solid mass, they persist the same way as 50 years ago. Stucked on one place they've never considered a home they don't want to learn, however there are always exceptions and examples of good cooperations between both sides. One of last countries willing to accept their moving way of life was France. The country that was always proud of its tolerance and democracy however, came to an end in Gypsy question. Not only French government killed the prohibition for free move, but started a campaign resulting in their return to their “home countries”. This week it officially reported around 700 Roma and Bulgaria Gypsies would be sent back home. With a little supply they will be expelled from the country.Recently more and more regions acted in that fashion, let's just mention the prefecture of the Val-de-Marne or Southern Bord! eaux banning them from station their caravans in the area.For ! Romanian Foreign Ministrer Teodor Baconschi it was a sign, imput for increasing xenophobic reacions. EU amounted criticism over French government for these actions, saying expelling them won't solve Gypsy problem. And it's obvious it won't – because although they return back to Romania, Bulgaria or any other country, they will come back as EU citizen with the right for free move. The projection is based upon empirical observations, when in last year many of illegal Gypsies simply returned back to France after some time. There is an estimation of 15,000 Gypsies living in France. In Romania they create ethnic group with official number of 530,000, but up to 2.5 million is expected since many of them simply deny their Roma nationality, fearing from discrimination.

related story (sgx18019): http://www.france24.com/en/20100819-flights-set-begin-t! aking...

by Milota Sidorova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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