France's Bordeaux Evacuates Bulgarian Roma Slum

A year after French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for the removal of Roma camps to be stepped up, rights groups in France say there are just as many Roma gypsies and camps. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A Bulgarian Roma slum has been evacuated by local authorities in the French city of Bordeaux.

Some 60 Bulgarian Roma were living in the informal settlement's sheds. Most of them decided to move to a larger slum located nearby, which has around 300 inhabitants, according to the Sud -Ouest paper.

Representatives from the Doctors of the World organization, who arrived at the spot, have expressed their disappointment over not having been informed of the measure.

The local authorities have offered the Roma families a "voluntary return procedure", which some of them have accepted and will now head back to their home country. The authorities are currently cleaning the place up and ensuring its environmental safety. Dangerous materials, including asbestos, have been used by the Roma for the construction of their sheds.

Since last summer, France has targeted Roma from Bulgaria and Romania as potential sources of crime, in some cases deporting them to their home countries.

A year after French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for the removal of Roma camps to be stepped up, rights groups in France say there are just as many Roma gypsies and camps.

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