2011 Repatriations
France continues to deport Roma back to their homeland of Romania even after Sarkozy’s three-month Roma eviction policy ended last year. On 12 April a chartered flight left northern France headed for Timisoara in western Romania with as many as 160 Roma on board. Like in the 2010 deportations, those who left France received 300 euros and each Roma child was given 100 euros. The Roma on 12 April flight all signed declarations, that they would never return to France. On 9 August, the city of Marseille in southern France forcibly evicted 100 Roma people via a municipal order who had settled in a makeshift camp near Porte d’Aix. They were given 24 hours to break down their camps and leave. It has also been reported that a chartered flight carrying approximately 150 Roma back to Romania left the Lyon area on 20 September. France’s goal for 2011 is to deport 30,000 Roma back to their home country. As of 2012, France sent about 8,000 Roma back to Romania and Bulgaria in 2011, after dismantling illegal camps where they were living on the outskirts of cities. The actions prompted controversy and calls for greater inclusion of Roma people.
Read more about this topic: Romani People In France