France will begin expelling Roma

France is to begin deporting Roma (Gypsies) as part of a crackdown on illegal camps in the country. The 79 Roma who agreed to return home voluntarily will be given 300 euros ($383) and flown back to Romania.

Some 700 Roma will be flown out of France by the end of August.

The French government says it plans to shut down 300 illegal Roma camps in the next three months. The controversial plan, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, was put in place after clashes last month between travellers and police in the southern city of Grenoble.

The government says the camps are "sources of illegal trafficking, of profoundly shocking living standards, of exploitation of children for begging, of prostitution and crime."

Some 51 camps have already been demolished by police, the residents moving into temporary shelters or accommodation, according to BBC News. The operation has been condemned by human rights groups, who say it is deliberately stigmatising a generally law-abiding section of society to win support among right-wing voters.

Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi said on Wednesday that he was concerned about the possible social implications of the crackdown. "I am worried about the risks of populism and xenophobic reactions in a context of economic crisis," he told Radio France International.

Mr Baconschi joined EU officials in saying he hoped all the expulsions had been carried out legally.But France has insisted that the demolitions and expulsions "fully conform with European rules and do not in any way affect the freedom of movement for EU citizens, as defined by treaties."

Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told the AFP news agency that an EU directive "expressly allows for restrictions on the right to move freely for reasons of public order, public security and public health."

Mr Sarkozy's opponents have accused him of using the Roma issue to shift public attention focus away from corruption on to crime.