Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: We must act so that similar tragedies cannot happen again!

On the occasion of the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, Fidesz MEP Lívia Járóka, Vice-President of the EP, reminded of the sins of the 20th century. She stressed: we have a common task and responsibility in creating acceptance. August 2 1944 is a dark day of the Roma past that will forever remind us of the horrors of exclusion, deprivation and violence. We must act so that similar tragedies cannot happen again!

Seventy-seven years ago, on this day, the Gypsy family camp was demolished in Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the most horrific death camps of the Nazi Germany. „Decades ago we have succeeded in defeating and breaking totalitarian regimes that have organized their systems based on fear and violence. We haven’t even talked about these atrocities for nearly 50 years, and to this day, we don’t even know the exact number of our victims. Today, we are still struggling with the pain and difficulties arising from the Roma Holocaust at individual and community level,” the politician reminded.

From the 1930s onwards, the Roma communities in Germany, like Jews and other minorities, suffered terrible discrimination. The Nuremberg Laws were also extended to them, their voting rights were revoked, and a significant part of them was evicted from the big cities. However, their humiliation did not end there. After being moved into ghettos, the extermination of innocent children, women and men, fathers and mothers were ordered, those who survived the inhumane conditions of the camps became victims of sterilization and other human experiments.

“1944 August 2 is the day of remembrance for the incomprehensible, ethnic-based and targeted violence against Roma. The 21st century, however, can no longer repeat the horrors of the past. We must act in unity against unlawful and violent restrictions on people in any area of ​​their lives. We must fight for human rights, equal treatment and acceptance. That August 2 may no longer be a day of horrors but a day of togetherness and mutual love. Those people of the 21st century never forget how much responsibility they have!” stressed the politician.