In France, Gypsies are known as ‘gens du voyage’, or ‘the people who travel’. The term was coined in an effort to fight anti-Gypsy prejudice. ‘I think our community is the most hated in the world,’ says Henoc Cortes Lopez, a French gypsy rapper. French Gypsies also fear that their traditional nomadic lifestyle is under threat. In 2018, France passed a law that prohibits spontaneous encampments. Furthermore, an influx of Romas from Eastern Europe has proved to be another headache for French ‘gens du voyage’. They claim that newcomers seeking refugee status and welfare rights, are only feeding into the anti-Gypsy stereotype. Are their worries justified?
Tolerance Du Voyage
