France to push ahead with expulsion of Gypsies, dismantling camps, despite criticism
France will continue to dismantle illegal Gypsy encampments and send their inhabitants back to Eastern Europe despite widespread international criticism over the crackdown, the country’s interior minister said Wednesday
Brice Hortefeux said France is applying its laws when it expelled planeloads of Gypsies, or Roma, in recent weeks and evacuated more than 100 of their illegal camps.
The operation has sparked criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum and even from Europe’s top human rights watchdog, which has accused France of stigmatizing Roma.
Hortefeux told the RTL radio the criticism was "political blather" and insisted racial prejudice was not behind the decision to expel the Gypsies. He said 117 camps have been dismantled and 630 people sent home, with some 300 more expulsions expected by the end of the month.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, presiding over his first Cabinet meeting since returning from summer vacation, urged his team "not to get sidetracked by useless controversies," Immigration Minister Eric Besson said, reporting the French leader’s comments.
Later Wednesday, Hortefeux and Besson will be meeting with two top Romanian officials in charge of security and Gypsy issues. Many of the Roma in France are from Romania, where officials have questioned the legality of the expulsions.
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