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Sinti and Roma Genocide Remembrance Day. 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Roma camp at Auschwitz.
80 years ago, some 4,300 children, women, and men - the last Roma prisoners in section BIIe - were murdered in the gas chambers of the German Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. The so-called Zigeunerfamilienlager ("Gypsy family camp") was liquidated on the night of 2 - 3 August 1944.
2 August is commemorated as Sinti and Roma Genocide Remembrance Day.
The anniversary commemorations, which took place by the monumnet commemorating the extermination of the Roma and Sinti at the section BIIe site of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, were attended by ca. 1,000 people, including Roma Survivors, as well as Auschwitz and Holocaust survivors, representatives of state authorities, international organisations, ambassadors and diplomats, politicians, representatives of several Roma and Jewish organisations and communities, representatives of local authorities, institutions and museums.
Among the guests in attendance were, the Speaker of the Polish Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Hanna Wróblewska, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Theodoros Rousopoulos, the President of the German Parliament Bärbel Bas, the Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Žygimantas Pavilionis, the Director of Yad Vashem Dani Dayan and the President of the IHRA during the British Presidency Lord Eric Pickles.
At the commemorative ceremony, two Survivors delivered speeches.
Alma Klasing lost several members of her family in Auschwitz. She survived by hiding in the forests of Baden-Württemberg.
‘During the day we would lay low in pits and cover ourselves with leaves. At night we would move and look for another shelter. We had to do all this as quietly as possible, always in fear of being discovered and deported to extermination and concentration camps. We could only feed on berries and other edible plants,’ she said.
‘We were very fortunate that all our close relatives survived the camps, but unfortunately we also had to mourn the many victims of Nazi racial policies among our relatives and friends,’ she added.
‘I would like to warn young people in particular against these false prophets and ask you from the bottom of my heart: defend our democracy and protect us, minorities from antisemitism, antigypsyism and racism,’ Anna Klasing stressed.
Bolesław Rumanowski, along with his family, was deported to the Kielce ghetto by the Germans when he was just a child. In the final period of the war, Boleslaw Rumanowski and his family managed to escape from the ghetto and hid in the nearby forests, thus ensuring their survival until the end of the war.
‘Despite the constant presence of death and immense suffering, we managed to survive. Every day was a struggle for survival and every night was full of fear and uncertainty. During the war's last phase, we successfully fled the ghetto and sought refuge in the nearby woods. We survived, thanks to the help of people of goodwill and an indomitable will to live. My story and that of my family is full of perseverance and fortitude in the face of unimaginable difficulties. It is also the story of all Roma who survived, even though many of us lost our lives in camps and ghettos,’ he said.
‘I want to emphasise to the young Roma population the importance of remembering their tragic history while embracing the future with confidence, faith, and optimism. The fight against stereotypes, prejudices, and exclusion can only be won through individual commitment and self-development. Study, acquire knowledge, attain the highest possible positions and functions, and show by your example that you can be fully-fledged citizens of your countries,’ stressed Rumanowski.
Romani Rose, President of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, highlighted the fact that nearly every "Sinti and Roma family associates the name 'Auschwitz' with the tragic loss of their relatives."
‘Remembering the genocide does not involve transferring blame on today's generations but instead accepting co-responsibility for democracy and the rule of law,’ he said
‘The millions of victims of Nazi atrocities have left behind a legacy that mandates the international community to oppose any criminal ideology from its inception,’ emphasised Romani Rose.
Roman Kwiatkowski, the President of the Roma Association in Poland, said that remembrance and education are vital to building a world where everyone is treated with respect and dignity, regardless of origin.
‘To this end, I am pleased to announce that the Centre for Roma History and Culture in Oświęcim has been officially established and operational since 1 February 2024. This was possible through a resolution passed by the Małopolska (Lesser Poland) Regional Council on 28 December 2023. The centre is not only a place of education and commemoration but also a platform for dialogue and cooperation to sustain Roma cultural identity,’ he pointed out.
‘In conclusion, I would like to stress that our memory of the past and struggle for the future are inextricably linked. To build a better future for us all, we must remember the tragedy of 80 years ago,’ said Roman Kwiatkowski.
The Speaker of the Polish Senate, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, also spoke at the commemoration. ‘The reason why the German Nazis were able to embark on the genocidal eradication of entire populations in Europe, almost bringing it to fruition 80 years ago, was primarily due to Europe's absence of a “solidarity instinct" - an immediate unified response to international aggression, violence, and human rights violations,’ she said.
‘If we truly remember the genocide, our response in defence of freedom must be steadfast. If our memory is to be of any use, we must show practical solidarity today to all nations that are victims of war, hatred, and the ideology of superpower insanity,’ added Kidawa-Błońska.
During her speech, Bärbel Bas, the President of the German Bundestag, stated that “Auschwitz represents the greatest atrocity ever committed by humans against their fellow beings”.
‘It symbolises the breakdown in the history of civilization perpetrated by Germany. It symbolises the intention to exterminate the European Jews. It symbolises the genocide committed against the Sinti and Roma. Here at Auschwitz, the racist madness of the Nazis ended in the cruel annihilation of human life,’ she said.
‘Auschwitz is inextricably linked to the German war of extermination directed first against Poland. Tens of thousands of Polish women and men were murdered here,’ she added.
‘If we want to eradicate evil at its inception today, we need to understand what this emerging evil consists of. Even then, it consisted of a desire for simple solutions, a contempt for democracy. And the belief that exclusion does not affect us after all. We readily deny this, but must never forget that humans allowed and perpetrated the greatest evil. This should remain shocking. And it must remain a warning. A warning to the whole world,’ Bärbel Bas concluded.
Yad Vashem Director Dani Dayan spoke about the significance of Jewish and Roma memory, stating, ‘Sinti, Roma, and Jews were transported in similar cattle wagons, murdered in the same gas chambers here in Birkenau and other places. Our bodies were incinerated in the same crematoria, and our ashes were dispersed in the same fields. This has united us as eternal partners in the moral crusade against evil and ensuring the remembrance of the innocent victims and their legacy.’
‘At this pivotal & symbolic commemoration, at this horrible yet meaningful place, I express on behalf of the Jewish people our profound recognition of the catastrophic genocide inflicted upon the Roma & Sinti parallel to the Holocaust, and to express our solidarity with your eternal anguish,’ Dani Dayan stressed.
At the end of the commemoration, wreaths were laid at the Roma and Sinti memorials.
Preceding the main commemorations, representatives from state authorities, parliaments, and international organisations gathered for a special panel at the headquarters of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. Auschwitz Museum Director Dr. Piotr Cywiński addressed the audience.
‘We have convened here today to commemorate Roma and Sinti Genocide Remembrance Day. We are all here in the spirit of memory. However, it is crucial to recognise that memory and historical knowledge are not synonymous. It involves more than simply reflecting on the past. The act of remembering is fulfilled in the present. Remembrance bears a strong association with our personal experiences, and arguably, with our present-day identity. Memory plays a crucial role in both the present and the future. When discussing memory and an extremely traumatic experience of one of the most marginalised minorities in Europe, it is essential to not only reflect on the past but also consider the present circumstances,’ he said.
‘Several times today, we shall hear terms like discrimination, inequality, and limited access to basic necessities for the Roma community in our 21st century Europe. I wish to draw attention to the fact that the problem encompasses a much broader context. We are currently experiencing instances of language or actions that suggest dehumanisation, particularly amidst the growing tide of populism. Dehumanisation is generally the final phase preceding the direst consequences,’ he stressed.
In his speech, Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski spoke about the memorial dedicated to the Roma tragedy in Salzburg he saw 30 years ago. He then asked the author about his interpretation of the work. ‘He said that the five sheets of metal symbolise five decades after the events. This memory evaporates after many years. A gap remains. Human memory fades. So, I say: if that's the case, man, don't forget. Be vigilant.’
‘Today, 30 years later, we see a new surge of terror, aggression and hate speech, a surge of antisemitism, hostility to strangers, or antigypsyism. I can only repeat after the creator of the monument: man, don't be indifferent to aggression, don't be indifferent to hate speech. For it starts with hate speech and ends with Auschwitz,’ stressed Marian Turski.
The history of the Roma victims of the camp is explored in the online lesson “The Roma in Auschwitz", , one of the episodes of the podcast "About Auschwitz", and the 7th volume of the educational series Voices of Remembrance. Also available on the Google Cultural Institute website is the Museum's “The Roma in Auschwitz" exhibition.
In Block 13 on the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, an exhibition is open to the public in remembrance of the Roma Genocide. It shows the dimension of the genocide committed against the Roma in German-occupied Europe. On the morning of 2 August, official guests of the commemoration visited the exhibition. The Roma victims are commemorated in a memorial located in section BIIe of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp.
The history of the Roma and Sinti in Auschwitz
The Nazis regarded them as a “hostile element” with a 'hereditary' propensity to commit crime and antisocial behaviour. From 1933, they and the Jews were persecuted on racist grounds, starting with registration, followed by a ban on specific occupations and mixed marriages, then compulsory labour, and finally, confinement in concentration camps.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, a decision was taken to resettle German Roma in occupied Poland. The German police authorities initiated the arrest and execution of Roma in the occupied territories, including the rear of the Eastern Front, where they were brutally killed alongside Jews by the Einsatzkommandos.
From 1943, following Heinrich Himmler's order, the Sinti and Roma mainly from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland were deported to Auschwitz. In total, the Germans deported some 23,000 Roma to Auschwitz, two thousand of whom were murdered without registration in the camp. 21,000 were registered in the camp, of which 19,000 died of starvation and sickness, or were murdered in the gas chambers upon liquidation of the “Gypsy camp”.