France: Sarkozy stirs up hatred against Roma

[Hannah Bell]

Just before the start of the official summer holidays, the French government headed by President Nicolas Sarkozy made yet another significant move to the right. It linked the issue of domestic security with ongoing racist attacks against Roma and immigrants, thereby adopting the line followed by the extreme right-wing National Front (FN). Marine Le Pen, the FN’s vice-president, reveled in the fact that the head of state had confirmed the perspective held by her party for the last 30 years.

During a speech in Grenoble on July 30... Sarkozy set out the main tenets of the new course, which had been backed by the whole government two days before. According to this, all the camps of nomadic Roma are to be dismantled, penalties will be leveled against whole families rather than individuals, and criminalized French citizens with a migrant background will have their citizenship revoked... The new measures, however, are completely in line with previous provocations, through which the government fanned racial tensions and boosted the repressive machinery of the state. Only last month, the National Assembly passed a law that made Islamic women wearing veils liable to draconian penalties—a gross violation of fundamental democratic principles.

Critical commentators regard the government’s maneuvering primarily as a reaction to Sarkozy’s political difficulties. The president is deeply mired in the Woerth-Bettencourt financial scandal and is trying to divert attention from suspicions of illegal party financing. At the same time, he is fishing in the murky waters of right-wing extremism, in an attempt to improve his prospects for the presidential election in 2012... However, Sarkozy’s new move to the right signifies more than an attempt to improve his chances of election. In view of the devastating conditions in the suburbs and the planned austerity measures that will destroy thousands of jobs, pensions and other social services, the government is anticipating bitter social conflicts. By upgrading the apparatus of the state, it is preparing repressive measures aimed not only at Roma, Muslims and other minorities
but the working class as a whole...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/aug2010/roma-a09.shtml

[Chulanowa]

1. And I imagine the same DU'ers that support the French crackdown on Muslim women

will find a way to excuse this, too.

[Bobbieo]

2. What do tthe Roma - in my book- Gypsies - have to do with Muslims?

[Chulanowa]

3. In your book?

In this book, are Blacks "coons" and Asians "slants" too?

Read the article. France is becoming a very unfriendly place to be a minority, whether it's Roma / Sinti, Muslim, or any other kind of immigrant.

[Hannah Bell]

4. +1

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. They're both common victims of bigotry.

This case and Sarkozy being an example.

[uppityperson]

10. "gypsy" is considered quite a slur and, in my book, should be avoided like n* is

or b*. My sisters and I can call ourselves the b*s but it is an insult for others to do so. Same with "gypsy". Please stop.

[uppityperson]

5. Not me. I can see the difference between making burkas illegal and making migrant citizens illegal.

Denying citizenship to an entire migrant group is not the same as prohibiting the enslavement of another group.

Here is another article from St Ouen, near Le Mans near Loire Valley where there was a shooting last month of a Rom by police with rioting afterwards.
http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/28/sarkozy-orders-illegal-roma-immigrants-expelled/


Article which includes the riots after the incident.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/27/france-nicolas-sarkozy-roma-gypsy

I hope they get Sarko out next election and hope he is replaced with not the really scary RW asshole but a decent person.

[Chulanowa]

7. Except they don't "prohibit slavery" and it is not the burqa

The law prohibits a hijab, The head scarf, which is a component of the burqa.

The law targets Muslim women who wear it, whether they choose to do so voluntarily or are forced by male family members. Conspicuously it is the women who are affected by hte law, not the men pressuring them to don it.

Further, it does not affect women of other religions - or no religion! - who wear a similar garment.

Discriminatory laws are discriminatory laws, whether the people they discriminate against disgust you by existing or not.

Here's a play-by play of the mess, if you're interested; http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1203758927834&pagename=Zone-English-Euro_Muslims%2FEMELayout

[uppityperson]

9. I am talking about the prohibition of the full face veil of whatever name. The men are fined

much more heavily than the woman if he is making her do so so yes, the men ARE affected. As far as the hijab, I agree that that should be allowed, prohibiting that is wrong. I am against the full face veil since in many cases it is the man who is forcing the woman to wear it.

I would need to read the complete law to find out what other similar face coverings are prohibited since some are but I do not read French well enough to do so. Neither am I in France to keep abreast of the latest on this.

Edited to add, I know it isn't "slavery" but it is oppression of women and saying "oh it's cultural" doesn't work for me when it is oppression.

I do not know what people might disgust me by existing, except for bigots who try to harm others. Thank you for the link but I was talking about the current full face veil prohibition.

[Chulanowa]

12. That would be the niqab

The burqa is a head-to-toe garment where the face is fully covered, either with mesh or other loose-weave cloth/

It's the hijab that is the issue in France, however.

And neither was an issue until islamophobia became a viable political platform.

[uppityperson]

13. They are also banning the burqa. Both are being banned.

[msanthrope]

8. The Roma issue will get him votes, not lose them. n/t

[joeybee12]

11. NS is a worthless, inept leader, and such types always find scapegoats...

he makes me sick.