We are compelled to periodically revisit an issue that should not be one: that of the Roma. Let’s be clear, no one is happy to have a Roma camp next to their home.
Now, there is another reality: The Roma exist and they are a population of Indian origin established in Central Europe. Most (between 10 and 12 million) have settled, while others (approximately 200,000) remain nomadic.
The opening of European borders facilitates their travel and settlement, sometimes in regular conditions, often in irregular conditions, in various Western European countries. Stabilization and integration policies in their countries of origin (Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia) are not particularly effective and, in any case, still require a lot of time.
The problem is complex and should not be trivialized. Nobody has a ready-made solution at hand. However, there are realities that should not be hidden: That a country of 65 million inhabitants, like France, cannot manage the presence of 20,000 to 25,000 Roma without passing from crisis to crisis, or that a city-metropolis like Nice sees the encampment of a hundred Roma as a threat to the tranquility of public life, is inconceivable.
The real problem is the refusal to address it, resorting to the easy solution of expulsion. The problem is passed to a neighbor, following the tacit principle of “Yes, but not in my backyard.”
The solution to the problem will emerge when we go far beyond mere prejudices. Otherwise, we will never get anywhere and a Roma camp will always be the citadel to be conquered.
In short, as universal ideals in the homeland of human and citizen rights, one could expect better!
