Roma and Sinti community commemorate Memorial Day at Auschwitz
Historians estimate that up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti were sent to death camps and murdered in the Holocaust, alongside Jews and others deemed subhuman by the Nazi regime.
By ALEX WINSTONUpdated: AUGUST 7, 2020 12:56Croatian Sinti and Roma women and children, 1941(photo credit: BUND ARCHIVES)
Representatives of the Roma and Sinti community marked European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on Sunday at the site of the Auschwitz death camp.The Memorial Day, commemorated first in 2015 when the European Parliament declared August 2 the annual "European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day," also had events held online.Ahead of the memorial event, which was also attended by Jewish and Christian representatives, a statement was released by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen; Věra Jourová, vice president for Values and Transparency; and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality.The statement said: “Today, we pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Roma victims of the Holocaust. We consider it a moral duty to acknowledge and remember all those who suffered under the Nazi regime; among those people were the Roma. Remembering their persecution reminds us of the need to tackle the challenges they still face today and which are too often overlooked."Historians estimate that up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered in the Holocaust, sent to death camps alongside Jews and others deemed subhuman by the Nazi regime. On August 2, 1944, the "Gypsy Camp" (Zigeunerlager) at Auschwitz was closed, and approximately 4,000 Sinti and Roma were gassed that night and burnt in the crematoria."As the number of survivors and witnesses of these atrocities is dwindling, it is our duty, now more than ever, to continue their work of memory and to pass on their testimonies," von der Leyen's statement continued."Europe has a duty to protect its minorities from racism and discrimination. We must replace anti-gypsyism with openness and acceptance; hate speech and hate crime with tolerance and respect for human dignity; and bullying with education about the Holocaust. Above all, we must promote diversity as a wonderful gift that makes Europe strong and resilient."World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder called for increased recognition of the Roma and Sinti genocide. “I was humbled to speak alongside Elza Baker on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in front of the Birkenau Death Gate,” he said. “Mrs. Baker, representing the Roma and Sinti communities, reminded the assembled world leaders that ‘not many people know about our suffering.’ Sadly, this injustice remains true in the year 2020.”Lauder continued, “the enduring absence of widespread remembrance of these crimes reveals the continued discrimination against Roma and Sinti in Europe. This terrible history is frequently overlooked, and Europe’s Roma continue to suffer extensive discrimination and violence across the continent. I applaud the Council of Europe for recently issuing a recommendation urging its 47 member states to include the history of Roma and Sinti people in school curriculum. By keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive, we ensure that future generations learn from the past so that history never ever repeats itself.“We must raise our voices against racism, antisemitism, and intolerance of any kind, again and again, whenever and wherever such hatred rears its ugly head.“The Jewish people – like the Sinti and Roma – are all too aware that what begins as vile rhetoric may yield catastrophic results."
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