Dozens of Roma protested in front of the French Embassy in Romania, following similar manifestations in France

Newsroom 08/09/2010 | 17:24

As a reaction to the recent Roma expulsion measures taken by France, around 60 people in Romania have dumped French wine, SIM cards, cosmetics and food in front of the French Embassy in Bucharest, on Monday.

Some carried banners on Monday during protests in front of Bucharest’s French embassy, which read “Stop Sarkozy”. Human rights and other groups accuse French President Nicolas Sarkozy of stigmatizing minority groups like the Roma, and thus seeking political gain, as Winnipeg Free Press reports. The protesters wore white shirts with the inscription “rom pakivalo” (respectable Roma) on them. The manifestation meant to also draw attention to the Romanian government’s lack of response in front of France’s decisions.

The protest in Romanian was a sign of solidarity with similar manifestations which previously occurred in France. Thousands of people attended rallies in Paris and 130 other French towns to protest against the government’s policy of deporting Roma people, BBC reported.