The first of the Roma community leaving France, apparently through voluntary expulsion. br br The French government of President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered the closure of some 300 travellers' camps around the country, where many Roma stay. br br After dismantling about 50 camps the government moved groups to sports halls. br br It then offered them 300 Euros and a plane ticket back to their native countries, usually Romania or Bulgaria. br br [Rodica Novakovich, Expelled Camper]: br "300 euros is not a lot of money. It's not enough to pay for housing for my kids and it's not possible to feed my kids. No, I refused 300. Thank you France." br br Many Roma say that they will return to France at their first opportunity. br br The founder of a Roma support group slammed France's centre-right government for marginalizing the community of about 15,000, which is significantly less than the hundreds of thousands in Italy and Spain. br br [Malik Salemkour, Co-Founder, The Rom Europe Support Group]: br "Today the French government and the President of the Republic—because of one incident—have decided to condemn a group collectively. These populations, because they live in shanty towns in precarious conditions, are being criminalized and made the scapegoats of security policy. They think they're being efficient by expelling them from the country, but they're European nationals. They have the right to return to France." br br Many have questioned the viability of the government's return plan because nothing stops Roma from coming back to France. European Union citizens can travel freely within the 27 nation-bloc. br br The opposition has accused President Sarkozy of seeking to distract voters with an anti-crime campaign as his ratings have slid amid scandals and high unemployment.