France to repatriate 93 Gypsies to Romania under crackdown by conservative Pres. Sarkozy

France to repatriate 93 Gypsies to Romania

PARIS — A French Immigration Ministry official says 93 Roma are to be repatriated to their native Romania.

The official, who declined to be identified in accordance with ministry policy, said 79 people are to leave on a charter flight from the central city of Lyon later Thursday.

Another 14 left on a commercial flight to Romania from the Paris region earlier in the day, the official said. Another flight is slated for Friday.

The flights are part of a crackdown by France’s conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy. He has linked Gypsies, or Roma, to crime and spearheaded a campaign to dismantle their illegal camps and send some home to Eastern Europe.

Critics contend the policy discriminates against one of the Europe’s most vulnerable communities.