Romani people

There is no indication that the Roma in France will become engaged in militant activities as they lack the risk factors of groups prone to rebellions such as consistent protest in the past, territorial concentration, regime instability and high levels of cohesion. Further factors inhibiting Roma rebellion include location under a democratic regime and low incidence of conflict in bordering states. As a group, they are often misrepresented as the Roma are an amalgamated group of different people, including the Sinti, Maouches (Manus) and Roms in France. They are unorganized and uninterested in dealing with the French government. There is the possibility for an increase in the levels of protest despite the fact that the group does not possess many of the risk factors that lead to protests, such as cultural and political restrictions and support from outside groups. The group, however, does face some cultural constraints as the French government has regulated some aspects of the group’s nomadic characteristics, requiring nomadic peoples to carry carnets de circulation, traveling documents that require frequent renewal. It should be noted that the group, while not frequently a target of repression, has faced some repression in recent years. The Romani are extremely poor and are excluded from the French society. They are viewed as a marginal sub-class of beggars, thieves and pickpockets who neither work nor pay taxes, and hence do not belong in French society. Also, as is the case elsewhere, the prejudices against the Roma in France fuel the social conditions that lead to the justifications for those prejudices. Recently these prejudices have entered the political arena through various right-wing parties. If the Roma face increased discrimination and repression, protests may begin. While it is possible that protests may begin, it appears that the Roma throughout Europe prefer to move to a new location when repression or discrimination become intolerable rather than to stay to protest their situation, which may also be linked to their general lack of cohesion as an ethnic group. The Roma (called Tsiganes or Gitans, although this refers more specifically to Roma from Spain it is sometimes employed more generally in French) are believed to have originated in India. They first arrived in France in the early 1400s and have since spread throughout the country looking for the best possible economic opportunities while attempting to avoid harassment and discrimination. As a result the Roma are not highly concentrated within a territory (GROUPCON = 0), and they do not form a cohesive group. Compared to the majority group, the Roma speak a different language (LANG= 1) and follow different customs, the most notable of which is the nomadic lifestyle led by the Manouches (CUSTOM = 1). The Roma are easily identifiable due to their different physical appearance (RACE = 1), and it is this racial difference, and the long history of prejudice against the group, which has led to discriminatory treatment. The Roma currently face moderate demographic disadvantages due mostly to their very high birth rate in comparison to the rest of France. Other demographic pressures may include the recent and large influx of Roma from Yugoslavia and other areas of Eastern Europe to France. This increase in Roma immigration has only increased the tension between the group and the majority. Between 2001 and 2003, French authorities have become more vigorous in their efforts to deport illegal Roma immigrants back to Eastern Europe. The Roma are basically excluded from the French society. Politically they are ignored, and therefore while there are no restrictions against the group, they are not recognized as French citizens (POLDIS06 = 3). The Roma are also excluded economically due to social practices rather than formal policy (ECDIS06 = 3), and as a result they are extremely poor. Sources of economic disadvantages are not only social but are also linked to educati