Europe’s Roma Divide: Poverty, Prejudice and Survival

The Roma are one of the most closed communities in France and also one of the most discriminated against. Despite making up barely 0.02% of the population, their encampments and way of life often provoke tensions and problems with neighbours. Five years ago, 800 Roma illegally settled in Prairie-de-Mauves on the outskirts of Nantes. We take a look at this veritable town-within-a-town, with its church, garage, bar and more than 100 caravans.

Living conditions throughout the camp are basic. Electricity comes from an illegal tap of a nearby power cable and is unstable and unsafe – earlier that year, one resident was electrocuted. Large families live in caravans or cobbled-together shacks. Many of the residents here work as fruit pickers in the surrounding area for the minimum wage, keeping the region’s farms running. Their wages support the rest of the community. Some turn to robberies and smuggling, where a few hours work can bring in the equivalent of a week’s minimum wage. The presence of this camp incites the anger of local residents, who blame them for all sorts of troubles: vandalism, burglaries and harassment.

Mosaic, in Tarn-et-Garonne, has an acute case of these problems. With a population of 30,000, this town – nicknamed the “Fruit Capital” – relies on a workforce made up of either Romanian or Bulgarian Roma workers to the tune of 85%. Moissac has the highest density of Roma in France. They represent 12% of Moissac’s population and, unlike Nantes, they live in the heart of the town, mostly in apartments. However, relations between the Roma and Moissac residents are becoming increasingly strained. The local police constabulary, administratively under the control of the National Rally in recent years, has its ear to the ground. The town council has installed surveillance cameras outside businesses run by members of the Roma community – an action the Roma consider excessive.

For three months of the year, during summer, the Roma return to Romania or Bulgaria, where their living conditions are much more stable. Back home, they own large houses, often characterised by flashy architecture. Tradition dictates that they build a home in their native villages for each of their sons. Come September, they all head back to France for work on the agricultural fields, where salaries are four times higher than at home.

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