7. Une répression au quotidien

Résumé 0

The department of Nièvre, in the French occupied zone, ordered the settlement of Gypsies living there before 1939, as well as of those who had fled from the German invasion. Their forced settlement was incompatible with their formerly nomadic lives, and the rules that were imposed of them increased their initial precariousness. Moreover, due to pressure from the mayors and the hostile reactions of the local population, the prefect decided not to create an internment camp, but to transfer some of the Gypsies to the four big camps in the neighboring departments: Jargeau (Loiret), Arc-et-Senans (Doubs), Saint-Maurice-aux-Riches-Hommes (Yonne), and Montreuil-Bellay (Maine-et-Loire). Although the department of Nièvre was completely liberated on September 12, 1944, the Gypsies were not necessarily released, as they were considered to be “enemies within.” Until 1969 they would continue to live under the rule of systematic identification and control established by the law of July 16, 1912.