At the end of July French President Nicolas Sarkozy “declared war” on illegal campsites of Roma Gypsies in his country, about 300 in total. This happened following a beating of 40 policemen by Gypsies angered by the death of a young member of their community who had tried to escape a check by traffic police. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said that some of the campsites had been “the source of illicit trafficking, exploitation of children for beggary, prostitution and petty crime”.
Paris plans to deal with illegal campsites for about three months and Romanian as well as some Bulgarian Roma Gypsies residing in them have been urged to go back to their native countries in return for an airplane ticket and bonuses worth EUR 300 per adult and EUR 100 per child. However, given the guaranteed right for free movement in EU they can be back to France anytime their wish. In such a case Paris will refuse to pay any social benefits. For this purpose police are taking fingerprints from those who have accepted to return to their countries voluntarily. This is a way to identify them if they decide to visit social services again. It is no secret that generous social benefits in more affluent EU countries have become a powerful magnet for Roma Gypsies. Some of them opt for illicit employment to make more cash.
Unlike strong criticism from human rights organizations and from part of the political class in Paris, a recent poll suggests that the majority of the French approves of this stringent policy aimed to boost domestic security. The United Nations and Brussels however voiced concerns over a parallel made recently, between emigration and crime, in a speech of the French president. There have been fears of xenophobic sentiments.
France, the country of freedom, equality and fraternity, is traditionally tolerant to local Gypsies whom the administration has called traveling people, a euphemism of nomad. Each municipality with more than 5000 residents is obliged by virtue of the law to secure a place for a temporary campsite with electricity and water supply, heating and in proximity to a school. Forty percent of municipal authorities however have for the time being, failed to comply with this obligation, and have willingly chosen to pay the fines instead. Given this situation, the influx of Gypsies from Central and Eastern Europe means that there is no option for legal shelter for the new arrivals. This has given rise to improvised illegal campsites in a few French towns, and most of all, in Paris.
The land of Victor Hugo who hymned the beauty of Gypsy girl Esmeralda, has seen an influx of Roma Gypsies from Romania in the first place, and from Bulgaria too, because the two countries have had the most numerous Gypsy communities in Europe for centuries. In unofficial data Roma Gypsies are 2.4 million in Romania, and 800,000 in Bulgaria. According to diplomats Gypsies born in France, come to 2-3 thousand, an insignificant number for the 60-million strong republic.
The problem of Gypsies coming from the East to Spain, France and Italy is not new. It is in part a cultural issue, given the specific traditions of the traveling people and their reluctance to integrate. On the other hand the problem is predominantly economic and social. The constant waves of Gypsies coming to the rich EU countries, confirm the thesis of many human rights activists that in an EU without borders, the Gypsy problem grows into a problem without borders too. And its solution should be a common demonstration of solidarity. After all it is naïve to imagine that the poorest countries in the European Union – Bulgaria and Romania – have near to the necessary potential to resolve the problem on their own.
English version: Daniela Konstantinova
