ORIGINAL SENDER: "AVER" <aver.asso@...>
Dear brothers,
You already heard about the problems of Rroms in France, especially about
some of them, who live in Choisy-le-Roi, a town near Paris. Two camp sides
You already heard about the problems of Rroms in France, especially about
some of them, who live in Choisy-le-Roi, a town near Paris. Two camp sides
of Rroms from Romania have been evacuated, and the third one is to be
evacuated tomorrow at 6 - 6:30 am.
Even before, there have been such measures by the French local authorities,
but tomorrow Rroms will be placed in some centres before being expelled to
Romania.
These Rroms came in France due to the fact that they have to face a worse
an worse situation of total exclusion in most areas:
leading to total unemployment. because of the racism and the discrimination
they face in their country. Several NGO-s (Rrom and no - Rrom ones) have
tried to explain the situation and they are ready to cooperate with
authorities of France and Romania in order to help these families.
If they accept to live in these shanty towns in France, it is because they
don't have anymore access to any basic right in their country. They have no
access to land, to employement, to schooling, health care, minimum welfare,
bank - credit ... In these conditions, they leave Romania and look for a
possible life in France or elsewhere.
Now, France wants to get rid of them.
Why ?
Even before, there have been such measures by the French local authorities,
but tomorrow Rroms will be placed in some centres before being expelled to
Romania.
These Rroms came in France due to the fact that they have to face a worse
an worse situation of total exclusion in most areas:
leading to total unemployment. because of the racism and the discrimination
they face in their country. Several NGO-s (Rrom and no - Rrom ones) have
tried to explain the situation and they are ready to cooperate with
authorities of France and Romania in order to help these families.
If they accept to live in these shanty towns in France, it is because they
don't have anymore access to any basic right in their country. They have no
access to land, to employement, to schooling, health care, minimum welfare,
bank - credit ... In these conditions, they leave Romania and look for a
possible life in France or elsewhere.
Now, France wants to get rid of them.
Why ?
Because they are in irregular situation. This means that they have no
appropriate papers of staying in France. Almost all Rroms ask for asylum in
France, but since Romania is considered as a "safe country", they systematically
are refused it. The decisions do not take into account the fact that being Rrom
or Romanian in Romania is not necessarily the same thing.
Experience shows that even though in a difficult situation, Rroms try to
integrate into the French society. They learn French, they try to find small
jobs and to register their children in schools, and so on. Especially for
the education of the children, it is the very schools which refuse them to
be registrated under the pretext that their families are in risk to be
expelled.
Where ?
In Romania, because they are Romanian citizens. But what the word "citizen"
means where we know that they have no possibility to live normally in this
country ? They still will have to face the same problems, and still will be
obliged to leave Romania because they are deprived of any incomes and will
be compelled to sell their last belongings, if they have not yet done so,
to purchase false documents enabling them to take again the ways of exile.
How ?
No answer to this question. The agreements between the two governments
contain provisions on the costs of travel, this is all. There is no, up to
now, any concrete comitement by the Romanian authorities to facilitate the
reintegration of Rroms. Our colleagues in Romania have not seen yet any
concrete sign in this respect. For how long the money of the governments
will be spent with the travel of people who are likely to be back ? Wouldn't
it be more efficient to use it for helping the integration of Rroms in
societies they live in ?
This is why we are looking for support by all of you, in order to counter
this policy. France should take its responsabilities and demand to Romanian
state an efficient policy on Rromani population. Only in this way the
illegal migration of Rroms could be reduced and eventually stoped. This is
what Mr. Mitterrand called "right of interferece", and Mr. Couchner even "a
duty of interference". This duty is more and more obvious as the year 2007
comes, since Romania will be a constitutive part of Europe and the combat
against corruption, discrimination and injustice in this country will be a
matter of vital concern not only for Romanian Rroms but also for the
European Union as a whole.
For helping Rroms and stoping the policy "just expell them", please send
immediately your protest to the Prefecture of Choisy - le - Roi at
Thank you !
Union of Rromani organisations:
1. Rromani Baxt
2. Ternikano Berno
3. Aver Center against Racism
4. Les amis de Rromani Baxt
5. Phralipen IBAR
and the "Comité de soutien aux familles Rroms de Choisy"
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