THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, has angrily denounced "disgusting" comparisons of his Roma expulsion policy with Second World War round-ups of Jews and claimed that all European leaders supported his campaign against illegal gipsy camps.Mr Sarkozy was involved in a "fierce and heated" argument with Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President as the dispute over France's expulsion of Roma dominated an EU summit on Thursday.
"The disgusting and shameful words that were used - World War II, the evocation of the Jews - was something that shocked us deeply," he said.
Viviane Reding, the EU's justice commissioner, earlier this week condemned President Sarkozy's treatment of Roma gipsies as a "disgrace" that reminded her of wartime Vichy France's collaboration with Nazi deportations of Jews and gipsies.
"Europe is unanimous that the Roma issue is extremely worrying," said Mr Sarkozy.
"Mrs Reding said extremely insulting things. It was deeply shocking to hear someone speak like this and make simplifications that hurt and shocked my fellow citizens." >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, September 16, 2010
