Around half a million Sinti and Roma fell victim to the Nazis' racial fanaticism in Europe. August 2nd is commemorated annually as the European Day of Remembrance of this genocide.
View of the ruins of the barracks of the so-called “gypsy camp” in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial
“Visiting the memorial in Auschwitz-Birkenau is important for everyone, not just for the descendants of the victims,” Swedish politician and Roma human rights activist Soraya Post is convinced. In an interview with DW, the former MEP still remembers her first visit there: “I felt so dirty. My heart left my body at that moment. I took a few steps, but I could hardly walk. There was I just didn't have enough dignity to walk on this ground. I heard voices in my imagination and I felt pain.”
At the beginning of August 1944, 4,300 Sinti and Roma remained in Camp B II. Most of them were women, children, the elderly and the sick. They were all murdered in the gas chambers by the Nazis on the night of August 2nd. This was the last act of a planned extermination action of all people who were imprisoned in the so-called “gypsy camp”. Two and a half months earlier, on May 16, 1944, thousands of Sinti and Roma had barricaded themselves in the camp and were at least able to prevent the SS plan from working that day. Later, all people still able to resist were taken to other camps to finally wipe out those who remained in Auschwitz.
A total of 500,000 Roma and Sinti fell victim to the National Socialist racial fanaticism. Sinti and Roma refer to this genocide as “Porajmos”, which in Romani means something like “devouring” or “destruction”. In 2015, the European Parliament declared August 2nd the European Day of Remembrance for the Murdered Roma and Sinti.
“If we hate, we lose!”
In order to commemorate these crimes and create awareness in the present, it is particularly important for young people to visit this memorial – even if the experience can be quite painful, says Soraya Post. It is an experience that everyone should have: “Visiting this memorial changes the way you see humanity. It makes us aware of what humans are capable of, how evil they can be and how easily all of this can happen .”
A contemporary witness in Germany who is still active today is Philomena Franz, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
Philomena Franz: “I can't hate!”
Despite the persecution and discrimination she has experienced, despite the murder of her family in German concentration camps, hate has no place in her life, Sintizze says in a powerful DW portrait: “Why should I hate? Should I carry on, what that others have made? I can't hate! If we hate, we lose. Love is a great enrichment for us humans. If we don't have love, we give up our spirit and virtue. And then we are lost.”
Today, Roma – including contemporary witnesses – have to fear for their lives again – in Ukraine, says the young Ukrainian Natali Tomenko, chairwoman of the Roma youth organization ARCA: “It is painful to see the trauma of Holocaust survivors who suffered at the time and today they have to fear for their lives again in the Ukraine.” Together with the “Dikh He Na Bister” (“Look and don't forget”) initiative and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, ARCA has set up an aid network to help these people. Natali Tomenko will also speak about it at the memorial event in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Commemorations in Poland and Germany
This year, the Prime Minister of Thuringia and the current President of the Bundesrat, Bodo Ramelow, and the Federal Government Commissioner for Antigypsyism, Mehmet Daimaguler, will attend the commemoration event in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Romani Rose, Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, will give a speech there again this year.
Romani Rose has been chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma since 1982
Thanks to an initiative of the international Roma youth network TERNYPE, 150 young people from all over Europe are commemorating the victims of the genocide there together with contemporary witnesses and representatives from politics and society.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Foundation, the Hildegard Lagrenne Foundation, RomaTrial and RomnoKher are calling for an hour of remembrance at the Berlin Memorial for the Sinti and Roma of Europe who were murdered under National Socialism. Minister of State Claudia Roth will also speak here; she is the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
“Djelem Djelem” in Dortmund
A remarkable program is taking place in Dortmund on August 2nd : In the afternoon, there will be an invitation to the “Don't Forget” commemoration event. In the evening there will be dialogue and music at the “Heu Men Hi” (“Who We Are”) event with performances by Melanie Terres, Guyltekin Ivanov, Nancy Black and Taylor Swing at Biercafe-West.
The Roma flag has been a symbol of the international Roma community since 1971
In addition, the city – at least digitally – the flag of the Roma and Sinti on the tower of the Dortmund Museum “U”, thus initiating the “Djelem Djelem” festival, which offers art, culture and workshops of all kinds from August 2nd to 20th, 2022. The festival will be held this year in a collaboration between Save Space e.V., AWO Dortmund, Romano Than and Cirikli e.V. organized with the city of Dortmund and the European Roma Institute for Art and Culture (ERIAC).