Protesters deride French president's crackdown on Gypsies and new security tack
Thousands of people are demonstrating in Paris against new government security measures, including a crackdown on the Gypsy population
Paris: Thousands of people are demonstrating in Paris against new government security measures, including a crackdown on the Gypsy population.
The whistle-blowing, drum-beating crowd is accusing President Nicolas Sarkozy of stigmatizing minorities and seeking political gain.
Human rights and anti-racism groups, labor unions and leftist political parties are taking part in protests Saturday around France and in other countries in Europe as well.
The protests mark the first show of public discontent since the conservative Sarkozy, a former interior minister, announced new measures to fight crime in July.
They have included the expulsion of some 1,000 Gypsies, or Roma, to eastern Europe in recent weeks.
