EU Blasts France's Expulsion of Gypsies

The conservative government led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been deporting hundreds of Gypsies, the nomadic people who number in the thousands in France. EU officials have called the move "a disgrace".

1 minute read

September 15, 2010, 6:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"In recent weeks, French authorities have dismantled over 100 illegal camps and deported more than 1,000 Gypsies, also known as Roma, mainly back to Romania, in a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said she was appalled by the expulsions, 'which gave that impression that people are being removed from a member state of the European Union just because they belong to an ethnic minority.'"

Sarkozy has urged the deportations, as Roma have been linked to crimes in villages and towns. Officials in the EU call it ethnic discrimination.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 in The New York Times

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