Tensions Between France and Germany Over Roma

By JUDY DEMPSEY
Published: September 17, 2010

BERLIN — Tensions between France and Germany worsened Friday after the German government publicly contradicted remarks made by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France about the expulsion of Roma at a meeting of European leaders.

The altercation seemed to mark a significant widening of the diplomatic repercussions spreading across Europe after France earlier this year began expelling Roma living in the country illegally.

The issue carries heavy historical freight for Germans: earlier this week, Viviane Reding, the European Union’s justice commissioner, drew a parallel between Mr. Sarkozy’s decision to expel thousands of Roma and ethnic cleansing by the Nazis during World War II. Mr. Sarkozy told reporters on Thursday night, after a heated meeting in Brussels that had initially been called to promote Europe’s role on the global stage, that Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, had told him she intended to dismantle Roma camps in her country in the coming weeks.

“We’ll see how calm German politics will become,â€