Tensions Rise in France After Roma Camp Torched

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Tensions Rise in France After Roma Camp Torched
PARIS September 29, 2012 (AP)

Advocates for Roma in France called Saturday for international protests to support the ethnic minority, two days after a group of residents in the southern city of Marseille expelled about 50 Roma from their camp and burned the site.

The residents blamed the Roma for a series of local burglaries. There is widespread political debate about France's treatment of the Roma, who are also known as Gypsies and who face discrimination across Europe. The French government dismantled dozens of camps over the summer, but vigilante acts such as the expulsion in Marseille are rare.

A French association representing Roma wants protests already planned in 15 countries on Oct. 7 to give a voice to the minority, saying they want to "reclaim the right to be legitimately heard."

Another group, called The Voice of the Roma, wrote an open letter Saturday to the mayor and Samia Ghali, another local official who got involved in the dispute, accusing them of pandering to the far-right. "Since you can't weigh the gravity of your words, can't you at least be quiet?" the letter said.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tensions-rising-french-roma-camp-torched-17355868

[azurnoir]

1. The Roma are and have been one of the most mistreated groups on Earth

and the UNHRC and other Human Rights groups NEEDS to say something and take what actions they can about this - yesterday

[99th_Monkey]

2. And I thought the French were way too cool to pull this kind of crap

guess there are always a few bad apples in every crowd or country?

[Posteritatis]

3. This is very far from an isolated incident there.

Italy's, ah, "better" at it in terms of sheer malice and enthusiasm, but this is a regular thing in France too.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. There was a scene in "Chocolat" where the gypsy camp in France was torched.

I wondered at the time whether it was based on fact.

[loli phabay]

6. the french are notoriously french if you get my meaning

they really take their nationality to the extremes in a lot of ways and if you are outside of what they deem french then there is a lot of bigotry.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. A bit broad, don't you think?

Since when has bashing and entire national origin become sport on DU?

If you knew anything about France you would know that next to the U.S. it’s the largest melting pot in the world. The French took in millions of Spaniards after the Spanish revolution, white Russians after the Russian revolution, thousands of Armenians after the genocide, Greeks, thousands of Poles fleeing poverty at the turn of the 20th century, Iranians both pro Shah and anti, in the southeast it’s hard to find someone who does not have an Italian surname, Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese, Indians from the time France had five city states in India, North Africans, Sub-Saharan Africans, and the largest Jewish population in western Europe. In fact it gets hard to find a French person who isn’t the child, grandchild, or descendant of immigrants.

I deplore bigotry against Gypsies particularly after they were decimated in the camps in the last world war. But calling everyone of a particular national origin a bigot is ugly and plain bigotry itself, not appropriate for DU.

[loli phabay]

9. who caled them all bigots, i simply stated that the french take being french seriously

they as a nation are proud of being french regardless of where you are from originally but there is also a distdane for outsiders that is legendary throughout europe.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. "if you are outside of what THEY deem french then there is a lot of bigotry.'

Yeah, "they", all THOSE people who all hate outsiders. Yeah they're all the same. "Legendary" or stereotypical? I’m 62 and I’ve heard those stereotypes all my life: all French are snobs, all Irish are drunk, all Russians are crude, etc. etc. etc.

[loli phabay]

11. hate to tell you this but french culture is all about being french, they are proud of their culture

and very protective of it from language to food to everything in between, and they do have a disdain for anyone who dosent look up to it, like it or not thats allso a part of their culture. PS hating outsiders is a part of a lot of cultures including the rom and travelers.

[loli phabay]

5. not sure what these groups think they will achieve, no individual speaks for the nations

each family within the traveler and rom peoples acts independantly so im not sure who gives each of these groups the right to speak for all. Most of teh time the actual people who claim to represent either have no connections or no standing within the actual communities and a lot are just gadje who think they know what is best.

[tama]

8. Transference

Transference = when you transfer an emotion meant for one person onto a different person.

http://www.thoughtsfromatherapist.com/2011/05/11/what-is-transference-in-psychotherapy-projecting-emotional-reactions-related-to-another-onto-the-therapist/

The Mass Psychology of Fascism: "The question at the heart of Reich's book was this: Why did the masses turn to authoritarianism which is clearly against their interests?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mass_Psychology_of_Fascism

Good Enemy, Scapegoat, etc.:

when authoritarian oppression from higher-ups in the hierarchy feels intolerable but you feel helpless against your real oppressors, you need some channel to express your frustrated rage. Roma are classic target of collective transference of rage. But not the only one. Here in DU the role of Roma seem the be most often taken by Greens.