Paris: an internal memo to “oust” Roma – Europe 1

DISCOMFORT – A note to the police of the sixth district advocates of “systematically evict” Roma. Embarrassment.

The directive is illegal. And yet, it emanates from the Commission of Life arrondissement of Paris. This internal memo advocates of “systematically evict” Roma rounding. A directive, approved by the UMP mayor of the borough, but provokes unease among police officers concerned.

>> Updated 04/15/14 at 15.10: In a statement released Thursday, the Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve said that “internal setpoint to the police the 6th arrondissement of Paris published in the press on morning has been rectified, “without specifying how. On the other hand, the Minister “recalls the principle that no police check can be made by targeting a person based on real or perceived nationality.”

What does the internal memo? This memo request “now and until further notice the number of VIth arrondissement, day and night, locate Roma families living in the streets and oust them systematically. “ The presence of the Roma has massively increased the past two months in the sixth arrondissement of Paris. According to the Catholic Relief some children a few months old, even spend the night outside.

Who wrote this note? It is the prefecture of police who gave the directives to the police district of Life. “Instructions have been passed to the police,” says the police prefecture of Paris recognizes, however, that “ease of unfortunate language.’s Chief of staff Prefect Laurent Nunez, put things right on Tuesday morning. According to him, This handrail is simply the act of a police officer who relayed the wrong direction of the Commissioner District.

How justified the police headquarters ? The police headquarters ensures that the preferred solution is that of “welfare” and that police operations are “in the legal framework.” The idea would be to help children Roma by providing accommodation. “The situation of illegality, is that families who remain on the street with young children and put them in danger. We believe such a family of four children, the last four months and the penultimate month and a half which. This is why we offer accommodation, but never in the constraint, “says the office of the Prefect.

Asked by Le Parisien , the mayor of the borough, UMP Pierre Lecocq said about him being “not shocked” by the tone of this note. however UMP mayor said he, too, was “shocked to see Roma families in the street with children toddler. “What for him is” not acceptable on human and social. “

What do the police officers? With Police responsible for applying this Directive, the embarrassment that is felt. So of anonymity a senior official of the prefectural police denounces “a clumsy and unacceptable point stigmatizing population.” To Jean-Pierre Colombies, delegate of police union Snop-SCSI, this directive is useless. “Roma from one place to another is stripped from one district to another, it does not solve anything,” laments the union frames of Homeland Security, told Le Parisien .

How do the defenders of Roma? For the defense association Roma populations France, Voice of Roma, a policy “which lists the Roma under the pretext of ‘next eviction operations and assistance’ is not a policy of a democratic state.” “This is the implementation of a reflected at the highest level of state policy. Statements of Mr. Valls when he was Minister of the Interior express clearly” under which Roma did “not want to integrate, for cultural reasons or because they are in the hands of mafias,” the organization added in a statement.

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