Reports are surfacing in France of 240 Roma being deported to Romania. Official sources have not confirmed the figure, but it appears that early yesterday (August 9 ) four buses, three from Lyon and one from Saint-Etienne, took groups of Roma people, who were receiving humanitarian aid in the area, to the Lyon St Exupery airport. Between 14:30 and 14:40 a charter flight took off from the airport, bound for Romania. Roma rights activist Jean Philippe, quoted by Le Parisien, said that 240 Romani people were onboard and described it as the largest Roma deportation in Lyon since the beginning of the year and the biggest since Francois Hollande became president.

The local authorities appear to be bullying the Roma populations in the area. According to NGO Medicin du Monde, which provides medical support to the Roma populations, hundreds of people have left camps due to the threat of deportation. Le Parisien also reports on a group of Roma evicted first from Vaulx-en-Velin by the police three days ago, then chased out of a makeshift camp. The group are now making their way along the River Rhone, according to Le Parisien.

Roma rights groups have condemned the actions of the French authorities. They accuse them of covering up and disguising deportations. French media reports that further evictions are planned in the near future, according to local sources.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com