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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 28-Aug-2010
28-Aug-10 News -- France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies

Web Log - August, 2010

28-Aug-10 News -- France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies

Turkey says it's committed to good relations with Israel

France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has issued a report condemning France for deporting Roma Gypsies back to their countries of origin in eastern Europe, usually Bulgaria or Romania.

"Our concern is that the removal or return of the Roma has been done on a collective basis rather than examining their individual circumstances," according to a member of the committee quoted by the Telegraph.

The report also criticized "political speeches of a discriminatory nature in France."

The French government has deported over 8,000 Romanian and Bulgarian Roma so far this year, according to

"We do not accept caricatures," said Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP). "Never has the president stigmatised a minority because of its origin. Never will we accept that a minority be penalised for being what it is." He indicated that the Roma were being individually as foreign nationals, not by their ethnicity.

The interesting thing about the Gypsy debate in Europe is that it has the same kind of feel and intensity and the Ground Zero Mosque debate in the United States. On each side of the Atlantic, you have EXTREMELY vociferous political arguments across a xenophobic dividing line.

Here's something for web site readers to think about:

When Muslims bombed the WTC in 1993, the bombers were tried in criminal courts. There was no national outcry against Muslims.

Even after 9/11, we went to war with Afghanistan, but I can't recall anything like today's level of Islamophobia. In 2005, we gave to the Pakistanis after the tsunami, and there was no outcry.

The point I'm making is that we have a trend here: Islamophobia has been monotonically increasing from 1993 to 2001 to 2005 to the present day. What's causing that trend?

What's happened since 2005 to cause this huge change in attitude?

From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the explanation is the disappearance of the Silent generation, the survivors of World War II. In the 1990s, we were in a generational Unraveling era, with the Silents in charge. The bombing of the World Trade Center in 1992 was small compared to what they had seen on a daily basis in WW II.

Those who had been in London, in particular, had suffered something like three 9/11's a day for months during WW II, so even 9/11 didn't cause the kind of national hysteria that the mosque is causing.

The same dynamic is happening in London with regard to the Roma Gypsies. France plans to continue exporting Gypsies for the remainder of the year, so this is going to be a major growing controversy. It'll be interesting to see whether France is forced to back down and stop deporting.

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Turkish officials visiting Washington have said that they're committed to continuing good relations with Israel. With regard to the flotilla incide, the Turkish officials said that "the incident had nothing to do with Turkey’s relations with the Israeli state or with the Jewish people, but rather was an issue with the Israeli government." Today's Zaman

MidEast peace talks begin on Sept 2, and Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing the question of whether to extend the settlement building moratorium past its current ending date of September 26. Different factions of his cabinet are threatening to break away for either decision. One possible compromise will be to allow new settlements to be built only within large blocs of existing settlements. IsraCast

The Pakistan flood catastrophe continues to worsen, with 20% of the country under water, and water spreading further in the south. In the north, in Swat Valley, where the floods began almost a month ago, anger has been rising over the government's hanling of the situation, and it's likely to get worse as flood victims demand compensation for destroyed houses, crops and livestock. However, they're receiving no aid money, and they're accusing government officials of stealing the aid money. Reuters

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 28-Aug-10 News -- France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (28-Aug-2010) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 28-Aug-2010 28-Aug-10 News -- France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies

France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 28-Aug-2010
28-Aug-10 News -- France is rebuked for deporting Roma Gypsies