The European Day of Remembrance for the Genocide of Roma during World War II, and the murder of at least half a million Roma in Nazi Germany, is observed on August 2nd.
Exactly eight decades ago, around 3,000 Romani men, women, and children were killed in gas chambers at the so-called “family camp for Gypsies” in Auschwitz. Two and a half months earlier, on May 16th, several thousand Roma barricaded themselves in the camp, preventing the Nazis from killing them that day. Later, all remaining individuals who could resist were taken to other camps, and on the night between August 2nd and 3rd, the Nazis suffocated those left behind in Auschwitz gas chambers.
In memory of over 500,000 Roma victims of Nazi racial fanaticism, the European Parliament declared August 2, 2015 as the European Day of Remembrance for the Genocide of Roma during World War II.
Historians estimate that Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed between 220,000 and 500,000 Roma and Romani women, more than a quarter of the Romani population in Europe at the time. From the end of World War II until the mid-1980s, there was hardly any discussion about the genocide against Roma in Europe. Only in 1982 did West Germany officially acknowledge committing genocide against the Roma.
In recent years, with the increase in rhetoric of division, hate speech, and hate crimes, it is important to remind ourselves of those dark moments and learn from the lessons of the past. Many are unaware that Roma were targeted victims of the Nazi regime. The genocide against Roma is a topic that is not taught enough, nor is it widely known. We must not forget that even today, too many Roma face discrimination, are victims of hate speech, and hate crimes in Europe. For this reason, Romani women and men across Europe are increasingly speaking about this event as a reminder of the suffering of the innocent, of genocides that must never be repeated.
Watch and don’t forget!Dikh ha na bistar!
Opre Roma!