WWII internment of travellers: French survivors fight for recognition • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

• Internment Camps: Facilities like Rivesaltes, Barcarès, and Saliers used by the French administration to detain traveling communities.
• Anti-Ziganism: Systematic prejudice, discrimination, and hostility directed toward Romani, Sinti, Manouche, and Yenish people.
• Anthropometric Passport: A discriminatory 1912 French law requiring travelers to carry identification containing photos, fingerprints, and physical measurements to track their movements.
• Vichy France: The French state during WWII that collaborated with German authorities in the persecution and internment of travelers.
• Forced Labor: The systematic exploitation of interned families for manual work under the French administration.

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1. The Experience of Internment: The Case of Marie Louise Boney

Marie Louise Boney, a survivor interned at age three in 1941, provides a firsthand account of the Rivesaltes camp.

• Conditions: Detainees were held in cold, bare sheds with insufficient food, often treated with dehumanizing cruelty by guards.
• Violence: Boney recounts the brutal treatment of her brother, who was whipped and scarred after a failed escape attempt.
• Administrative Complicity: Documents reveal that the French administration—not just German occupiers—actively denied release requests. A letter regarding the Boulin family explicitly labeled them "undesirable" and accused them of a "thieving existence," justifying their continued detention.

2. Historical Context and Systemic Persecution

The persecution of French traveling communities was not an isolated event of WWII but part of a long-standing state policy.

• The 1912 Law: Long before the war, the French state implemented the "anthropometric passport," a tool of surveillance that documented the movements of Romani, Sinti, Manouche, and Yenish populations.
• Pre-Occupation Measures: Even before the German occupation, the French state prohibited travelers from leaving their official towns of residence. Historian Ilse Naubert notes that this policy effectively severed the community's social and professional ties, leaving them destitute.
• Statistics: During the war, approximately 6,500 travelers were interned across occupied and Vichy France, with at least 145 sent to extermination camps.

3. Post-War Continuity and Silence

A significant finding is that the end of WWII did not immediately result in freedom for these communities.

• Extended Internment: Local authorities continued to hold travelers in camps under the pretext that they were a "danger" to society. The final interned traveler was not released until June 1946 from the Allier camp.
• Systemic Erasure: Pervasive anti-Ziganism in French society contributed to a long period of silence, where the history of this genocide was largely ignored or obscured.

4. Activism and the Path to Recognition

The current movement for recognition is led by groups like the Zora collective, which has been campaigning since 2024.

• European Context: In 2015, a European resolution urged all member states to establish a day of remembrance for the genocide of these communities.
• Legislative Progress: In April 2024, the French parliament passed a resolution acknowledging the genocide, a major milestone for activists.
• Goal: The collective is pushing for France to officially designate August 2nd as a national day of remembrance, aiming to restore the dignity of their ancestors and combat ongoing discrimination.

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

The history of the French traveling communities during the 1940s is characterized by state-sponsored internment, forced labor, and systemic dehumanization. The evidence—ranging from personal testimonies of survivors like Marie Louise Boney to administrative letters and historical laws—demonstrates that the French state played a central role in this persecution. The transition from historical silence to active political campaigning represents a critical turning point. By securing parliamentary recognition, activists are working to dismantle the legacy of anti-Ziganism and ensure that the suffering of their ancestors is formally acknowledged within the national narrative of France.