17-year-old Darius was burnt with battery acid and left for dead in a shopping trolley, until being found by Roma car mechanic Ion Fardu.
“He was in a very bad shape, extremely disfigured in a horrible way,” Fardu tells reporter Matt Frei in a story broadcast on last night’s Dateline on SBS ONE.
“I tried to speak to him, but no response. His head was badly out of shape, swollen in places. He was hardly breathing. I realised it was a life or death situation.”
Locals say it was a revenge gang attack for thefts on a local housing estate.
“The Roma keep coming to the estate and stealing stuff,” says one of the few residents willing to talk to Matt.
“They were sick and tired of him. Not that that justifies what they did, but you can see why they did it,” she adds.
There are estimated to be 20,000 Roma people in France, including those living in about 40 settlements around Paris.
The families set up camp wherever they can, existing in makeshift houses without electricity or proper sanitation until the authorities move them on.
“I’d like to tell you that this is my home,” says seven-year-old Yasmina, whose family have lived in France for 15 years. “We have no water and nothing to eat, but this is where we live.”
President Hollande described the attack on Darius as ‘unspeakable’ and ‘unjustifiable’, but the Roma people say they don’t receive any protection or help from the French authorities.
“I need disinfectant for his umbilical cord, I need formula, nappies and clothes,” says Yasmina’s mother, who recently gave birth to baby Pavel.
“I don’t want him to live my life,” she tells Matt.
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