The United Nations anti-racism committee has urged France to avoid the collective deportations of Roma and said it was concerned about 'political speeches of a discriminatory nature'.
In a series of recommendations issued after a hearing on the situation in France, the 18 experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged France to 'avoid in particular the collective repatriation' and instead to 'strive for lasting solutions'.
'The issue of the day is the question of the Roma,' said Pierre-Richard Prosper, a member of the panel.
France launched a country-wide crackdown on Roma this month after a group of gypsies allegedly attacked a police station.
The French government said it sent back 283 Roma yesterday, bringing the total number of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma deported so far this year to 8,313, compared to 7,875 expelled throughout last year.
The UN panel described the Roma as victims of 'violence with a racist characteristic'.
During the hearing, the French delegation announced that a national plan to combat racism was being drawn up, without giving details.
The UN panel, however, criticised Paris, saying that there was a 'lack of political will' to deal with a worrying resurgence of racism in the country.
