The move followed crisis talks called by Sarkozy on Wednesday as part of his declared "war on crime" which prompted rights groups to accuse him of stigmatising the Roma, Gypsy and traveller minorities.
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said that about 300 illegal "camps or squats" housing Gypsies and travellers would be closed in three months and foreign Gypsies breaking the law would be immediately deported.
"Tax inspectors will be sent to inspect the households of the inhabitants of these illicit and illegal camps because a lot of our compatriots are rightly surprised to see the caravans pulled by certain powerful cars," he added.
The French government said many in the camps or settlements were involved in "smuggling, exploiting children for begging, prostitution or delinquency".
France will also ask Romania and Bulgaria to send about 20 police officers to the greater Paris region, where many Gypsies live, and proposes sending its own forces to the two countries to fight trafficking.
Anti-racism groups, however, were outraged, accusing Sarkozy of singling out and smearing a minority for electoral gain.
"The Elysee wants to stir fear in order to deploy security measures and a surveillance society," said Dominique Sopo of the pressure group SOS-Racism.
Source: http://www.thearynews.com/english/newsdetail.asp?nid=52746 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
