The Basics of French President Sarkozy's 'Gypsy' Crackdown

(Aug. 6) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy is cracking down on immigrants in his country, starting with the dismantling of the so-called "gypsy camps." On Friday, French police officers evicted 135 people of Roma descent from their squatter camp outside the city of Saint-Etienne.

Sarkozy may be toughening his stance on the already marginalized population to boost his ratings, which have dropped because of a financial scandal. This might be a smart move on his part as 79 percent of voters support Sarkozy's efforts to empty out such camps, according to opinion polls.

Some call Sarkozy's campaign a racially motivated ethnic cleansing, others support the forced removal of immigrants and itinerants, illegal or not. But, how did this massive plan come about? And what will happen to the homeless immigrants? Surge Desk brings you the basics.

1. Why are travelers in France living in illegal settlements?
In 2000, France adopted the Besson law, which makes providing housing for travelers mandatory. According to the European Roma Rights Centre, France has not been following the law. Thus, travelers, mostly Roma, end up living in unsanitary and dangerous areas. The ERRC went on to say that the dire living conditions force gypsies to "unjustified violence."

2. How many immigrants are there in France?
Approximately 15,000 gypsies and Roma are currently calling France home. The ones living in squatter camps and abandoned buildings are soon to be homeless, if they aren't already.

3. Why Is France forcibly displacing gypsies?
In July, Sarkozy was moved to action when a gypsy-police confrontation resulted in the death of a young gypsy in Loire Valley, spurring anonymous ax and pyro rioters to attack a police station, other buildings and vehicles. Sarkozy called a meeting and said illegal Roma immigrants are getting booted from France. He then added that the need for public order is another reason for "systematically evacuating" illegal immigrants. Sarkozy said they are the ones mainly responsible for "trafficking, prostitution and exploitation of children."

4. What's Sarkozy's plan?
Sarkozy's goal is to break down 50 percent of illegal gypsy camps in the next three months. Bulgarian and Romanian gypsies must return to their countries of origin if they do anything illegal, the interior minister said. Moreover, plans are in the works to remove French nationality status from immigrants with criminal records.

5. Who opposes Sarkozy's campaign?
Rights groups say, first off, that Sarkozy's wording of minority groups as the "traveling community" is racist. Last month, ERRC's letter to Sarkozy says it is "alarmed at [his] call for the systematic evacuation of illegal settlements and the involvement of tax authorities in verifying the status of occupants."

Other opponents say Sarkozy must specify minority groups, instead of mashing them together. Ethnic Roma should be differentiated from gypsies, who should be differentiated from nonimmigrant French travelers. Instead, many are grouped together under the arguably pejorative term gypsies.

"As happens too often in history, gypsies are once more being made scapegoats by a ruling class tangled up in political and financial scandals," UFAT, a gypsy rights group, said. Roma are also easy targets.

6. What options do evicted gypsies have?
The only option so far is to find a legal, authorized housing area. For foreign criminal gypsies, they will be sent back to their countries of origin, which in most cases is Romania.