Roma Holocaust commemorations

Roma Holocaust commemorations

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ERTF commemorates the international remembrance day of the pharrajmos

Strasbourg, 2 August 2013: With a minute of silence being held at noon beside the Holocaust memorial stone in front of the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg, the ERTF remembered more than 3,000 Roma exterminated by the German Nazis during the night of 2-3 August 1944 in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

"The Pharrajimos is by far the biggest tragedy in our Roma history. It has traumatised us till this day. The genocide committed on Roma has determined how we apply ourselves in defense of universal human rights, our need for freedom, and our stance towards well-meant multicultural ideals in today's Europe. 

With the recent events in some of the Council of Europe Member States, it is shameful to see how little has changed for the Roma people in aalmost 69 years after the Pharrajimos.

The memory of the Holocaust must not be allowed to fade away. The suffering of millions should not be in vain. And yet humanity is confronted time and again with the evil of genocide. Is it possible to avoid that? 

The survivors teach us not to collaborate with those who espouse hatred, but actively resist it and oppose it" said Mr Kawczynski, President of the European Roma and Travellers Forum, in his key address to the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, staff members of the Council of Europe and the citizens of Strasbourg.

With the adoption of the Charter on the Rights of the Roma, ERTF has reinforced its commitments to raise awareness of Pharrajimos, which is less well recognised, and frequently separated from that of the Jewish experience, especially in the teaching of the history of this period. The Holocaust commemoration also has a role in combating anti-Tziganism and other forms of intolerance.

The ERTF therefore calls upon those working to promote the rights of all Roma, Travellers and related groups throughout the world to organise their own events every 2nd August to ensure maximum visibility of this horrendous crime.

"The European Roma and Travellers Forum calls on the Council of Europe to convene, in association with the European Union and the OSCE an urgent meeting of member states to decide on effective measures to ensure the security of the Roma in Europe." stated Mr. Kawczynski in his concluding remarks.

Commemoration of the victims in Dunajska Streda

The Roma Holocaust was also remembered in the centre of the Slovakian city of Dunajska Streda, where alongside members of the Slovakian government, number of foreign diplomats and politcians had also participated. The event was organised by Dr. Jozef Ravasz, head of the Research Institute of Dunajska Streda. Hungary was represented by the Jozsef Attila prize holder, Gyorgy Rostas-Farkas, writer and head of the Society of HUngarian Gypsy Sicentists and Artists.

Press release of Roma National Council of Croatia

On Friday, August 2nd 2013, the second, annual commemoration on the International Day of Commemorating Roma Victims of the Porajmos/Holocaust will be held at the Roma cemetery Uštica at Jasenovac Memorial Site in the presence of a large number of members from the Roma community and state representatives.

On the same day commemorations will be organized in other cities worldwide – Berlin, Krakow, London, Strasbourg, Bratislava and Toronto.

During the Second World War Roma people were captured and killed in concentration camps of Nazi Germany and also in camps of the allied countries. The International Day of Commemorating Roma Victims of the Porajmos/Holocaust is marked on August 2nd in remembrance of August 2nd 1944 on which 2897 Roma were killed in one night. 

The marking of this day is supported by the Council of Europe. On this day we are also remembering thousands of Roma killed during the Second World War in the concentration camp Jasenovac. So far, there is evidence that 16.173 Roma were killed in Jasenovac, of these 5.608 were children and the biggest number of Roma was killed in the summer of 1942.

Participating in marking the International Day of Commemorating Roma Victims of the Porajmos/Holocaust, August 2nd 2013, will be, among others, representatives of the highest state institutions, embassies, religious communities, antifascists, NGOs and representatives of local governments.

Representatives of the Roma communities of Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia will participate and the arrival of 15 buses with Roma people from all over Croatia has been confirmed.

The Commemoration is organized by the Roma National Council, which acts as an umbrella organization of Roma in Croatia, in co-operation with the association, „Kali Sara“ and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and Council for National Minorities of the Republic of Croatia.

Worlds largest Roma Youth Genocide Remembrance Event kicked  in Krakow.

More than 400 young people from all over the world will discuss past, present and future of Roma. 

Knowledge and official recognition of the extermination of Roma during the Second World War is still very limited, especially among young Europeans including the Roma. 

This is why ternYpe International Roma Youth Network organizes the world’s largest Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative in Krakow and Auschwitz from July 30th until August 4th, 2013. The initiative got high level support with a partonage from Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament and the Polish Government., the Council of Europe and OSCE-ODHIR are amongst the donors.https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g40mcdum7f42ix3/gpe-7UtVk2

The aim and strong vision of the event is to empower young Roma and non-Roma to have a voice, to be key actors for change and to promote 2nd of August as Roma Genocide Remembrance Day, (besides Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27th January). 

The first days of the programme are composed by interactive workshops, meeting with survivors as well as an introduction about the history of Romani holocaust and its connection with prevailing antigypsyism.

On August 1st a public high level conference will take place at Pedagogical Univerity of Krakow.

Virtual Commemoration Of The Victims Of The Roma Serial-Killings In Hungary - Join Us!

Six people were killed and many others injured in racially-motivated serial killings against Roma people in Hungary between January 2008 and August 2009 in which Molotov cocktails and firearms were used. Among the victims was a 4-year-old boy too.

In August 2009, the Hungarian police arrested four suspects. On 24th July 2013, the trial comes to the closing speeches, and finally after five years, the verdict will be delivered in August.

In addition, August 2nd marks the Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, which also serves as an opportunity to honour the victims. In 1944 several thousand Roma were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau. 

65 years later, at exactly the same hour of the day, Mária Balogh was shot dead in her own house and her daughter sustained life threatening injuries.

To highlight the importance of standing up to racially-motivated hate crimes, Communication Center X (XKK) has shot four 2-3 minute videofilms with the contributions from the most famous Hungarian actors and actresses.We

invite you to join us in the commemoration on the 2nd of August and ask you to put our English-subtitled video onto your pages and social media sites.

We are Communication Center X, a socially committed communication agency that works in Hungary. 

We aim to generate positive changes in social, ethnic, gender and democratic issues.

If you would like to join our campaign please let us know your

organisation’s name at the following mail-address: info@xkk.hu

(Of the base from the reports Roma Virtual Network)