Speak up against Roma expulsion by France, India told
India must speak up against France for the en masse expulsion of Indian-origin Roma people, said Ujjal Dosanjh, former Canadian health minister and top Indo-Canadian leader.
The Roma people – also called gypsies – claim their roots in north India from where they were enslaved and taken away by invaders from Afghanistan and Turkey almost a millennium ago. In the 14th and 15th centuries they scattered across central and eastern Europe where they have faced systemic discrimination since then.
Actor Charlie Chaplin and Nobel Laureate scientist August Krogh are among the hundreds of famous Roma people who have made their mark in various fields.
Ignoring protests from the UN, Amnesty International and other bodies, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered the mass expulsion of Roma migrants – who moved into the country from Romania and Bulgaria which joined the European Union in 2007 – after incidents of riots and rising crime were blamed on them.
More than 8,000 Roma have already been deported this year, with France paying them 300 euros per adult and 100 euros per child.
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