France defies EU over gypsy flights
Immigration minister says expulsions will continue, despite European resolution ordering France to stop immediately
FRANCE has said it will ignore European orders to stop expelling gypsies from the country immediately.
The European parliament in Strasbourg passed a resolution yesterday urging France to suspend the controversial deportations.
It said it was "very concerned by the measures taken by the French authorities and other member states against Roma and other travellers".
The order was put forward by left-wing parties in the parliament and was adopted by 337 votes to 245.
Immigration minister Eric Besson said the EU resolution was a "political diktat" with no legal value, and suspending the expulsions was "out of the question".
A senior civil servant told 20 Minutes: "The European parliament has expressed itself. That's its role, but that doesn't change French policy."
Besson was in Romania yesterday to sign a deal with his Romanian counterpart, Teodor Baconschi, on the reintegration of returned gypsies.
Both countries will be lobbying the EU for financial aid to help them settle back home.
The French government announced a crackdown on gypsies at the end of July, citing concerns about crime.
It has closed hundreds of illegal campsites and has flown thousands of gypsies back to Eastern Europe.
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Photo: Joshua Davis/Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.
