Gypsies accuse Nicolas Sarkozy of racism after expulsion order

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been accused of racism after ordering the expulsion of illegal gypsy immigrants and the demolition of their camps.

He wants a change in the immigration law to make expulsion easier "for reasons of public order". Earlier this month a gypsy youth was shot dead in the Loire valley after clashes with police. Mr Sarkozy said those responsible for the violence would be "severely punished". He said the illegal camps were bases of drug trafficking, exploitation of children and prostitution.

Interior minister Brice Hortefeux said the measures "are not meant to stigmatise any community, regardless of who they are, but to punish illegal behaviour."

Representatives of the Roma, almost all of whom are from eastern Europe, were not invited to yesterday's presidential meeting, when the expulsion was decided, and said they are the only ethnic group that French authorities can openly target.

"We're preparing to open a blighted page in the history of France, which could sadly lead to acts of reprisal in the days ahead," said lawyer Henri Braun at a press conference by Roma leaders. "There is a huge problem of racism in France towards this population - there is enormous discrimination."

During the Nazi occupation, gypsies were sent to concentration camps. Former president Jacques Chirac, the first leader to acknowledge France's role in the Holocaust, condemned "the Nazi madness that wanted to eliminate the gypsies".