PARIS — Advocates for Gypsies 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 Gypsies from their camp and burned the site.
The residents blamed the Gypsies for a series of local burglaries. There is widespread political debate about France’s treatment of the Gypsies, 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 Gypsies wants protests already planned in 15 countries on Oct. 7 to give a voice to the ethnic 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.
Ghali, who drew attention this summer by asking the federal government to send troops to Marseille to combat crime and violence there, has said she doesn’t agree with the decision of residents to take matters into their own hands against the Gypsies.
Front Section, Pages 14 on 09/30/2012