France To Begin Deportation of Roma

The deportation of Roma from France back to their countries of origin is to begin on Thursday the French government has announced. With 51 Roma camps across the country now broken up over the past month and a further almost 250 to meet the same fate by October, some 700 Roma will be put on planes by the end of August.

The first of Roma will leave France on Thursday when 79 are to be returned. Immigration minister Eric Besson said that the Roma involved had agreed to return of their own will, reports Le Monde. Adults receive €300 in cash for returning while €100 is given for children, EUobserver.com reports.

To prevent them from returning and claiming such payments again, the government plans to collect biometric data on those who are deported. Most of the foreign Roma don't appear to be resisting deportation.

The recent decision to shut down camps and expel Gypsies who aren't French citizens is the first time the French government has pursued such a hard-line policy, says Robert Kushen, managing director of the Budapest-based European Roma Rights Centre. "It's a very draconian measure," he says. "It's not going to solve much.", Wall Street Journal informs.