French court blocks deportation of Roma

[maddezmom]

Source: Bloomberg

PARIS — A French court has blocked the deportation of seven Roma people, also known as gypsies, in a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plan to dismantle illegal camps.

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Yahoo! Buzz ShareThis .The administrative tribunal in Lille canceled the deportation orders yesterday, saying the cases didn’t meet the legal standard of posing “a real, immediate, and sufficiently grave threat,’’ according to a statement.

Sarkozy ordered camp demolitions and expulsions after itinerant workers went on a rampage in central France following the death of a man during an identity check. Although the rioters were French citizens, most of the dismantled camps are inhabited by gypsies who hold Romanian or Bulgarian citizenship.

French authorities dismantled 128 camps and deported 977 people to Romanian and Bulgaria in August, the government said Monday.


Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2010/09/01/french_court_blocks_deportation_of_roma/

[pampango]

1. Sarkozy vows to implement reform; Pursues security crackdown despite ministers' criticisms

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Sarkozy+vows+implement+reform/3466686/story.html

French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed yesterday to press ahead with tough security measures despite a wave of criticism from senior ministers over mass expulsions of Roma, exposing divisions in his government. Sarkozy, who faces mass protests in coming days over his security stance and pension reform, has looked increasingly at odds with his troops since figures like Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner voiced dissent.

The demolition of illegal camps and repatriation of Roma has drawn fire from the left-wing opposition, members of the Catholic Church and rights groups.

Critics have denounced Sarkozy's clampdown -which polls suggest may be popular with conservative voters -as a ploy to boost his flagging popularity before elections in 2012 and divert attention from unpopular plans to raise the retirement age and cut public spending. With a cabinet shuffle looming in October as Sarkozy eyes elections in 2012, several ministers have distanced themselves from the president.

With hundreds of thousands of French expected to take to the streets on Saturday in protests against the security measures and again on Tuesday during a strike over pension reform, the Socialist opposition says Sarkozy faces a revolt.
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Looks like Sarkozy's plan to blame the "others" for France's problems and win votes from conservatives voters has hit a roadblock.