In the last few weeks we have seen a terrifying attack on the Roma in France. Led by President Sarkozy himself, the French state has declared war on the Roma population, both recent arrivals from Eastern Europe and Roma who have lived in France for generations. There have been highly publicised eviction raids on Roma and Gypsy settlements with mass deportations to Eastern European countries. The language used by the French state is the same as that of Vichy when they rounded up Jews for the concentration camps. This has polarised French opinion and thousands came out to demonstrate in solidarity with the Roma across France.