Sarkozy Accused of Ethnic Cleansing

[ladyDeWint]

The French president has been accused of ethnic cleansing after ordering the expulsion of thousands of gipsies who are illegal immigrants.

Nicolas Sarkozy provoked fury by calling Roma camps 'sources of trafficking, exploitation of children and prostitution'.

And although his immigration minister, Brice Hortefeux, said the expulsion of 300 camps was 'to punish illegal behaviour', not to 'stigmatize any community', critics were appalled.

Malik Salemkour, of the French human rights league, said: 'This is nothing more than ethnic cleansing and the criminalisation of misery.'

Henri Braun, lawyer for the French Roma leaders, warned most gipsies had lived in France for generations and were 'as French as the president', the son of immigrants.

Others warned that Mr Sarkozy's language had chilling undertones of France's role in sending gipsies to concentration camps during Nazi occupation in the Second World War.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0v9wgluF1

[tabbynera]

Saw it on the tv yesterday. Looks like Sarkozy has put his fashionable foot in it again. Would add we get the French gypsies spending a few months in summer travelling through Switzerland with their Mercedes pulled caravans. They are not very popular here either. They were camping in the nearbye small town of Grenchen and the authorities decided to do something for them. they erected washing facilities, toilets and organised a place for their rubbish. When they left everything was half kaput and the rubbish was strewn all over the place. Needless to say they did not leave a good impression behind them.

[johnworc]

The human rights advocate was clearly over-reacting. If the French decide to expel gypsies who also happen to be illegal immigrants, well presumably that's their prerogative - so long as they're expelling all illegal immigrants, then it's not discriminatory. Tabby's story is interesting about the council providing facilities which were left in disarray by the gypsies. Why don't the gypsies do themselves a favour and improve their act (that'd be good public relations). It's always interesting to see how some advocates jump up and down so promptly when their "buttons" are pressed - it usually means they have some sort of vested interest.

[Barryoneoff]

I saw a documentary about these people recently. They are real scum, and the children are robbing people at cash machines as soon as they can walk!

[tabbynera]

We are not overwhelmed with them, they just seem to spend their holidays in switzerland. Sometimes I see them in the supermarket, really something completely different. The women wearing long floral skirts and tight tops, with their hair tired back, very long. Accompanied by about 6 kids each woman and the men walking around in front as usual. They seem to eat more in the shop than actually take it home with them. See an apple, just take it and eat it. the kids are given all sorts of stuff from the shelves. god knows how the shop assistant manages to calculate it all. They only speak French of course. Most people in Switzerland do manage with French, but it is not easy to act properly with these people. There is no danger that they will take over the country, emmigrate into Switzerland or such, they just visit in the Summer. As they don't really get in my way, I have an open mind, which does not exactly mean that I welcome them with open arms.