Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:57am EDT
* Independent U.N. racism experts rebuke France
* Body concerned some Roma expelled against their will
* But says issues faced by Roma throughout Europe
(Recasts with quotes from news briefing, French statement)
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - A United Nations human rights body rebuked France on Friday for its crackdown on Roma and urged the government to try to integrate members of the EU's biggest ethnic minority as part of a Europe-wide solution.
The 18 independent experts voiced concern that some of the hundreds of Roma flown to Romania in recent weeks under what France calls a voluntary repatriation programme had not been fully informed of their rights or had not freely consented to returning to their homeland.
"We understand that a state has a right and a responsibility to deal with security issues and issues of illegal immigration. But our view is when you are doing so, it should not be on a collective basis, you should not be targeting a group as a whole," said Pierre-Richard Prosper, vice-chairman of the U.N. Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
"There is an appearance of discrimination," Prosper, an American, told a news briefing.
Patrick Thornberry, a British committee member, said: "The problem is a collective approach based on ethnicity."
CERD's conclusions sparked a swift rebuttal by the French foreign ministry which said the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy was "scrupulously respecting" European Union laws and examining cases one by one.
Roma had to respect public order and not be an economic burden on a host country, the ministry said in a statement.
"We accept the criticisms. What we vehemently reject is what seems to be a caricature of France," said Francois Zimeray, a diplomat who represents France on human rights issues.
Campsites have been dismantled and in some cases bulldozed away on orders from Sarkozy, whose tough law-and-order rhetoric helped sweep him to power in 2007.
Opposition parties in France have accused him of targeting the Roma and other immigrants in a crime crackdown with the goal of boosting his record-low popularity ratings before the next election in 2012. Polls have shown that a solid portion of the French population support the crackdown.
"A EUROPEAN SOLUTION"
The U.N.-appointed experts acknowledged that difficulties faced by Roma were an issue throughout Europe and said the problem required a regional solution. More than 10 million Roma live in the European Union, roughly a fifth of them in Romania.
The experts also urged Sarkozy's centre-right government to combat what they called a worrying rise in racist and xenophobic discourse by some politicians.
"Our view is that leaders of any country have a responsibility to guide and lead the country towards mutual understanding, tolerance, inclusion and so forth," Prosper said.
"It's not only a French problem, it's a European problem ... And what we feel is needed is a European solution," he said.
Five other states whose records on racial discrimination were examined during the CERD's four-week session -- Bosnia, Denmark, Estonia, Romania and Slovenia -- also had shortcomings in their treatment of Roma, according to the committee.
It voiced concern about "racist stereotypes and hate speech" against minorities including Roma by certain media, political parties and politicians in Romania.
Ion Diaconu, a committee expert from Romania, said: "We really think that the solution for these Roma questions is firstly total integration as citizens of the states of the European Union ... In other words, integrate them as Europeans.
Under the French clampdown, Roma who agree to leave the country receive 300 euros and an additional 100 euros for each of their children. Some 8,000 have been sent home so far this year, including 300 who departed on Thursday [ID:nLDE67P227]
The experts examined France's adherence to an international treaty banning barriers based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin that violate political, economic or social rights. France has ratified the 1969 pact.
The committee asked France to report back in exactly one year on the progress it has made in upholding the treaty. (For full report, available only in French, go to: here ) (Additional reporting by Bate Felix in Paris) (Editing by Noah Barkin)
reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67Q0ZC
++++
Rights Panel Criticizes France Over Roma Policy
By MARLISE SIMONS
Published: August 27, 2010
GENEVA — A United Nations-backed committee of experts sharply criticized France on Friday for deporting large groups of Roma and said the government in Paris should do more to combat what it called a growing racist and xenophobic tone in the country’s public debate.
The 18-member committee, which issues periodic reports on racial discrimination, prepared its findings on France coincidentally against a backdrop of passionate debate there over the government’s moves against foreign-born Roma, also known as Gypsies. In response to the criticism, France said on Friday that it “scrupulously” respects European law and its international obligations.
On instructions from President Nicolas Sarkozy, French police have been dismantling improvised Roma camps in recent weeks and deporting Roma groups to Bulgaria and Romania.
The French government said that all those flown back to the Balkans were part of a voluntary repatriation scheme and had accepted payments equivalent to about $380 per adult and $120 per child.
However the report issued here on Friday questioned that assertion , saying that “not all individuals” had given “their free and full consent” or understood their rights.
It urged France “specifically to avoid collective repatriation” and instead seek permanent solutions for the welfare of the Roma, ensuring that “they have access to education, health services, housing and other temporary infrastructure.”
France has said it has already expelled more than 8,500 Roma this year. More were put on planes this week as the committee finalized its report.
“Our concern is that a government should not lump an entire group together and deal with them collectively but act on the basis of individuals,” said Pierre-Richard Prosper, a former United States ambassador for war crimes-related issues and the group’s rapporteur. He said France had not been singled out for criticism among the 11 countries whose reports were published on Friday.
“The timing was especially bad for France because the report is coming out as the Roma events are in the news,” Mr. Prosper said in an interview. “But the Roma question is a moment in time. The bigger issue in France is the growing racist and xenophobic tone in political discourse and the fact that earlier immigrants do not feel fully accepted and do not get equal chances in French society.”
The committee of experts is an independent group that monitors compliance with a 1965 convention on the elimination of racial discrimination. The convention’s 173 signatories are subject to a review every four years, typically consisting of reports from both governments and human rights and other independent groups. After public debate, the committee issues its recommendations or critiques.
Another country rebuked over its treatment of Roma on Friday was Denmark , which was told it should collect data on the numbers and the legal status of Roma, give them access to shelters and public facilities and protect them from racial profiling and hate crimes.
The panel said nothing about Denmark’s recent deportation of Roma. Italy, Germany and others have been criticized in earlier statements.
Groups of traveling Roma have become an issue in much of Western Europe, all the more since 2007 when Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union and travelers from those countries no longer needed visas to crisscross much of the continent.
France has been deporting Roma for several years, including 10,000 last year. A survey in Le Figaro newspaper published on Friday said that two-thirds of respondents supported the dismantling of camps and the deportation of Roma, linking their presence in the country to crime and insecurity.
In response to criticism from the United Nations group, France said Friday that it was “scrupulously” respecting European law and its international obligations in its drive to expel Roma.
In its report on Iran on Friday, the committee on racial discrimination urged the Tehran government to “continue its efforts to empower women and promote their rights.” Iran should also seek to end discrimination against local minorities, including Bahai, Arab, Azeri, Balochi and Kurdish groups, which, the report said, are largely excluded from public life and are scarcely mentioned in the national census and in public policies.
The committee also criticized Australia, saying that it should increase efforts to amend the Australian Constitution to include the recognition of aboriginal groups as “First Nations Peoples.” It said that these groups needed more money for legal aid, adequate land titles and more help to preserve indigenous languages.
Members of the committee include representatives from Algeria, Brazil, Britain, France, China, Burkina Faso, Ireland, Tanzania, Togo, Turkey, Guatemala, Russia, Niger, Pakistan, India and the United States.