France Roma as future targets of renewed security measures ?

The French newspaper “Le Figaro” reports in an article dating 11th June 2010 that French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for the reinforcement of repressive measures towards the “moving delinquency” coming from Eastern Europe, especially Romania.

Comment: Following the alleged implication of Roma people of Romanian origin in criminal activities in the Paris region as well as in some province cities, a specific action plan has been ordered by Mr Sarkozy to combat the phenomenon of Carpathian Mafias exploiting persons in France for their own benefits.
While 10000 Roma people of Romanian origin live in France today, 3100 were arrested in 2009 for offences, 1800 remanded in custody; 40% of cases concerned minors.

The newspaper details the measures of the action plan that was discussed during the Council of Minister on Internal security, each measure being more alarming than the last.

The agreement facilitating the return of Romanian unaccompanied minors present on the French territory, still awaiting the French Parliament ratification, provides for return of minors without the basic prerequisites for respect of children rights, such as judicial review.

Another measure envisaged provides for the immediate repatriation of any person constituting a threat to public order but no guarantees are given as to how this procedure will be put in place and if the judiciary will be involved.

As well, under the impulse of Brice Hortefeux former French ministry of Interior, a database of finger prints should be set up in order to track the beneficiaries of the assisted voluntary return scheme put in place by the French government. However, no details are provided as to who will have access to the database and what concrete data protection measures are foreseen.

Finally, the reinforcement of the powers of the representative of government in the region, the “préfet”, will be confirmed, allowing them to order removal of Roma camps without prior approval of the judiciary as it is the case today.

Security grounds are once again taking precedence over the fundamental rights of a minority that certainly more in need of adequate integration alternatives than further being subject to repressive measures.

The political commitments undertaken by European governments in 2005 for the decade of Roma inclusion seems to be, half way, already left behind.

Read the original article (in French)

Comments: Pierre Cazenave, Regional Child Rights Officer, Tdh Regional Office, Budapest, Hungary.