Stop expelling Roma, AI tells France

Amnesty International (AI) has urged the French government to comply with a European Parliament resolution calling for an end to discrimination against the Roma.

The deputy director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia program on Friday asked Paris to heed the EU’s calls to suspend its policy of expulsions of Roma from the country.

“The European Parliament has taken a strong stand — now France must show it is committed to the respect of human rights and the non-discrimination of particular ethnic groups, including Roma and Travellers,” said David Diaz-Jogeix.

“President Nicolas Sarkozy can start by ending the cycle of discrimination that has led to the expulsions of Roma communities from France,” Diaz-Jogeix added.

On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution in Strasbourg, France, expressing concern over “the inflammatory and openly discriminatory rhetoric of the political discourse” as well as “the measures taken by the French authorities and other member states’ authorities targeting Roma and Travellers.”

The resolution, presented by socialist, liberal, and green lawmakers, was approved with 377 votes in favor, 245 against, and 51 abstentions.

The resolution also called on the European Commission, the 47-member Council of Europe, and EU governments to intervene and integrate Roma migrants.

Sarkozy has pushed for a change in France’s immigration law to make it easier to expel Roma from the country and has pledged to dismantle their camps.

The French government justifies acts of evacuation by declaring that Roma camps are spreading prostitution and human trafficking across the country, and the Roma community might be stigmatizing the whole country.

France has expelled one thousand Roma since July.

However, quite a few French politicians believe that the recent sweeping moves will definitely affect Sarkozy during his re-election bid in 2012.