Although the next French presidential elections are not until 2012 and French President Nicolas Sarkozy is yet to announce his intention to run for re-election, analysts argue that the forced repatriation of Roma to Bulgaria and Romania has in fact kick-started the election campaign. Pascal Perrineau, director of the Centre de Recherches Politiques at Sciences Po (CEVIPOF), believes that the 2012 election campaign has already begun. He identified two major issues that are antagonising French society. One is the Woerth-Bettencourt affair, in which a key minister, Éric Woerth, responsible for labour, solidarity and public services, stands accused of conflict of interest, as his wife works for Liliane Bettencourt, principal shareholder at L'Oréal and the richest woman in Europe. The Woerth-Bettencourt controversy has been dragging on since June, and Sarkozy has since seen his political ratings tumble. In what may have been an attempt to improve his standing, the French president ordered the repatriation of Roma from Romania and Bulgaria who live in camps on French soil. By playing hardball with the Roma, Sarkozy appears to have put the brakes on his "descent into hell," Perrineau is quoted by Europe 1 as saying, and his personal approval ratings have improved by 2%.
Pascal Perrineau, director of the Centre de Recherches Politiques at Sciences Po (CEVIPOF), believes that the 2012 election campaign has already begun. He identified two major issues that are antagonising French society.
One is the Woerth-Bettencourt affair, in which a key minister, Éric Woerth, responsible for labour, solidarity and public services, stands accused of conflict of interest, as his wife works for Liliane Bettencourt, principal shareholder at L'Oréal and the richest woman in Europe.
The Woerth-Bettencourt controversy has been dragging on since June, and Sarkozy has since seen his political ratings tumble.
In what may have been an attempt to improve his standing, the French president ordered the repatriation of Roma from Romania and Bulgaria who live in camps on French soil.
By playing hardball with the Roma, Sarkozy appears to have put the brakes on his "descent into hell," Perrineau is quoted by Europe 1 as saying, and his personal approval ratings have improved by 2%.
Among the groups the Nazi regime and its Axis partners singled out for persecution on so-called racial grounds were the Roma (Gypsies). Drawing support from many non-Nazi Germans who harbored social prejudice towards Roma, the Nazis judged Roma to be "racially inferior." The fate of Roma in some ways paralleled that of the Jews. Under the Nazi regime, German authorities subjected Roma to arbitrary internment, forced labor, and mass murder. German authorities murdered tens of thousands of Roma in the German-occupied territories of the Soviet Union and Serbia and thousands more in the killing centers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka. The SS and police incarcerated Roma in the Bergen-Belsen, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Mauthausen, and Ravensbrück concentration camps. Both in the so-called Greater German Reich and in the so-called Generalgouvernement, German civilian authorities managed several forced-labor camps in which they incarcerated Roma. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005219
Among the groups the Nazi regime and its Axis partners singled out for persecution on so-called racial grounds were the Roma (Gypsies).
Drawing support from many non-Nazi Germans who harbored social prejudice towards Roma, the Nazis judged Roma to be "racially inferior." The fate of Roma in some ways paralleled that of the Jews. Under the Nazi regime, German authorities subjected Roma to arbitrary internment, forced labor, and mass murder. German authorities murdered tens of thousands of Roma in the German-occupied territories of the Soviet Union and Serbia and thousands more in the killing centers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka. The SS and police incarcerated Roma in the Bergen-Belsen, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, Dachau, Mauthausen, and Ravensbrück concentration camps. Both in the so-called Greater German Reich and in the so-called Generalgouvernement, German civilian authorities managed several forced-labor camps in which they incarcerated Roma.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005219
Après le Pape, Mgr Le Gall monte au créneau. A Lourdes, à l'occasion du pèlerinage du diocèse de Toulouse, l'archevêque Robert Le Gall a fait un parallèle entre la situation actuelle des Roms et le sort des juifs durant la seconde guerre mondiale. Les Roms font-ils l'objet d'une déportation de la part du gouvernement français ? A entendre de très nombreuses voix, le parallèle est de plus en plus utilisé pour défendre les Roms en France. Dernièrement, c'est l'archevêque de Toulouse qui est monté au créneau pour défendre les gens du voyage roumains en déclarant « les Roms sont nos frères comme les autres ». Mais à Lourdes, à l'occasion du pèlerinage du diocèse de Toulouse, Monseigneur Roland Le Gall a également fait, devant les milliers de fidèles réunis aux Sanctuaires, un parallèle avec la situation des juifs durant la Seconde guerre mondiale. Il a notamment rappelé l'engagement de son prédécesseur de l'époque qui avait fait lire une lettre à la population qui indiquait que « des scènes d'épouvante ont eu lieu dans les camps de Noé et de Récébédou (installés en Haute-Garonne, ndlr). Les juifs sont des hommes. Tout n'est pas permis contre eux, contre ces hommes, contre ces femmes, contre ces pères et mères de famille. Ils font partie du genre humain. Ils sont nos frères comme tant d'autres. »
Les Roms font-ils l'objet d'une déportation de la part du gouvernement français ? A entendre de très nombreuses voix, le parallèle est de plus en plus utilisé pour défendre les Roms en France. Dernièrement, c'est l'archevêque de Toulouse qui est monté au créneau pour défendre les gens du voyage roumains en déclarant « les Roms sont nos frères comme les autres ». Mais à Lourdes, à l'occasion du pèlerinage du diocèse de Toulouse, Monseigneur Roland Le Gall a également fait, devant les milliers de fidèles réunis aux Sanctuaires, un parallèle avec la situation des juifs durant la Seconde guerre mondiale. Il a notamment rappelé l'engagement de son prédécesseur de l'époque qui avait fait lire une lettre à la population qui indiquait que « des scènes d'épouvante ont eu lieu dans les camps de Noé et de Récébédou (installés en Haute-Garonne, ndlr). Les juifs sont des hommes. Tout n'est pas permis contre eux, contre ces hommes, contre ces femmes, contre ces pères et mères de famille. Ils font partie du genre humain. Ils sont nos frères comme tant d'autres. »
Cannot find a link in English (yet), but the archbishop of Toulouse, speaking in front of several thousand faithful in Lourdes, made the same comparison as you did. The right is outraged by the comparison ("the Roms are not sent out to be killed" they say) but this is definitely hitting home... Wind power
After the Pope, Archbishop Le Gall up to the plate. In Lourdes, at the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse, the Archbishop Robert Le Gall drew a parallel between the situation of Roma and the fate of Jews during the Second World War. The Roma are they subject to deportation by the French government? To hear many voices, the parallel is increasingly used to defend the Roma in France. Recently, the Archbishop of Toulouse, which is mounted to the plate to defend Travellers Romanian saying "Roma are our brothers like the others. But to Lourdes during the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse, Bishop Roland Le Gall also, before thousands of faithful gathered in the Sanctuary, a parallel with the situation of Jews during the Second World War. He particularly recalled the commitment of his predecessor at the time who had read a letter to the people who stated that "scenes of horror were held in camps and Noah Récébédou (installed in Haute-Garonne ed.) The Jews are men. All is not permitted against them, against these men, against women, against these fathers and mothers. They are part of the human race. They are our brothers, like so many others. "
After the Pope, Archbishop Le Gall up to the plate.
In Lourdes, at the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse, the Archbishop Robert Le Gall drew a parallel between the situation of Roma and the fate of Jews during the Second World War.
The Roma are they subject to deportation by the French government? To hear many voices, the parallel is increasingly used to defend the Roma in France. Recently, the Archbishop of Toulouse, which is mounted to the plate to defend Travellers Romanian saying "Roma are our brothers like the others. But to Lourdes during the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse, Bishop Roland Le Gall also, before thousands of faithful gathered in the Sanctuary, a parallel with the situation of Jews during the Second World War. He particularly recalled the commitment of his predecessor at the time who had read a letter to the people who stated that "scenes of horror were held in camps and Noah Récébédou (installed in Haute-Garonne ed.) The Jews are men. All is not permitted against them, against these men, against women, against these fathers and mothers. They are part of the human race. They are our brothers, like so many others. "
After the Pope, Archbishop Le Gall steps up to the plate. During the diocese of Toulouse pilgrimage in Lourdes, Archbishop Robert Le Gall drew a parallel between the situation of the Roma people and the fate of Jews during the Second World War. Are the Roma subject to deportation by the French government? According to numerous voices, the parallel is increasingly used to defend the Roma in France. Recently, the Archbishop of Toulouse, who stepped up to the plate to defend the Roma travelers stating: "Roma are our brothers too". But during the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse in Lourdes, before thousands of faithful gathered in the Sanctuary, Archbishop Roland Le Gall also drew a parallel with the situation of Jews during the Second World War. He particularly reminded the commitment of his predecessor at the time who had a pastoral letter read to the population, stating that "horror scenes were taking place in [internment] camps in Noé and Récébédou (set up in Haute-Garonne département ed.) The Jews are people. Not everything is allowed against them, against these men, against these women, against these fathers and mothers. They are part of the human race. They are our brothers, like so many others. "
During the diocese of Toulouse pilgrimage in Lourdes, Archbishop Robert Le Gall drew a parallel between the situation of the Roma people and the fate of Jews during the Second World War.
Are the Roma subject to deportation by the French government? According to numerous voices, the parallel is increasingly used to defend the Roma in France. Recently, the Archbishop of Toulouse, who stepped up to the plate to defend the Roma travelers stating: "Roma are our brothers too". But during the pilgrimage of the diocese of Toulouse in Lourdes, before thousands of faithful gathered in the Sanctuary, Archbishop Roland Le Gall also drew a parallel with the situation of Jews during the Second World War. He particularly reminded the commitment of his predecessor at the time who had a pastoral letter read to the population, stating that "horror scenes were taking place in [internment] camps in Noé and Récébédou (set up in Haute-Garonne département ed.) The Jews are people. Not everything is allowed against them, against these men, against these women, against these fathers and mothers. They are part of the human race. They are our brothers, like so many others. "
Note: Noé is a small town near Toulouse (the "département" of Haute-Garonne. The Vichy regime had set up an internment camp for Jewish people there during WWII. Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.
