2 AUGUST – INTERNATIONAL ROMA HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY ROMAREMEMBER 2020

Press/Media: Expert Comment

Description

Each year, August 2nd marks Roma Holocaust Memorial Day – a day of official remembrance for Romani victims of the genocide, which took place during the Second World War. 

In a message of unity and with the objective of raising awareness of the tragic fate of Roma during WWII, as part of the Proud Roma Free Europe campaign, the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) and a transnational network of Roma movements and institutions, will come together in a series of offline and online events across Europe.

During the days prior to 2 August, ERIAC and its partners will share information about the history of the Roma Holocaust and the role of Roma arts and culture, including literature and visual arts, in conveying compelling accounts of the wartime traumas the Roma communities experienced.

 

Expert comment in film.

 

 

#RomaRemember: International Campaign for Roma Holocaust Remembrance 2020 reinforces the spirit of solidarity and unity, provides visibility to Roma Holocaust Remembrance activities taking place around the world and mobilizes Roma and non-Roma around the same political message.

 

Through #RomaRemember Campaign we:

 

❗️ Call on governments to recognize August 2nd as Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma victims of the Holocaust.
❗️Call on governments to build memorials dedicated to the Roma victims of the Holocaust and to honor and preserve sites of the Roma Holocaust.
❗️Call on governments to invest in museums, research centres and other institutions dedicated to Roma Holocaust, Roma history and Roma culture.
❗️Call on governments, educators, teachers and public institutions to include Roma history and culture into official educational curricula and textbooks.
❗️Call on governments and the international community to acknowledge and fight against antigypsyism as a specific form of racism targeting Roma populations (and to adapt adequate preventive and reactive means to fight it).

 

 

 

Period2 Aug 2020

Media contributions

2

Media contributions

  • Title2 AUGUST – INTERNATIONAL ROMA HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media typeTelevision
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date2/08/20
    Producer/AuthorERIAC
    URLhttps://eriac.org/2-august-international-roma-holocaust-memorial-day/
    PersonsRosamaria Kostic Cisneros
  • Title#RomaRemember: Joint International Campaign for Roma and Sinti Holocaust Remembrance 2020
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date2/08/20
    DescriptionIt is high time that we are not alone in remembering the Roma Holocaust.
    🪔 Join us in commemorating the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day!
    #2August #RomaRemember #NaBister #RomaHolocaust #NeverForget
    ///
    On 2 August 1944, over 4,000 Sinti and Roma were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. During the night they were taken from their barracks to the gas chamber by SS guards. Months earlier they have been successfully resisting for their lives.
    We don't forget the bravery of these Sinti and Roma. We remember them, and the more than 500,000 Roma people who were murdered during World War II.
    Yet even today, the Roma Holocaust is still largely untold and unknown. Many governments do not officially recognize 2nd of August as the official Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. Today, we call on governments around the world to officially recognize 2nd of August and to commemorate it as the International Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.
    Most countries have no dedicated monuments to Romani Holocaust victims. There are few museums, research centres; and sites of the Roma Holocaust remain largely unpreserved. Today, we call on governments around the world to build, honor and preserve monuments and memorial sites dedicated to the Roma victims of the Holocaust.
    The lack of recognition of the Roma Holocaust reflects the long-standing discrimination against Roma people. The same mechanisms which led to the extermination of [our ancestors] are still present in society today. Our people are still subject to hate speech, violence, police brutality, evictions, segregation and wide-spread discrimination. Antigypsyism remains a widely-accepted form of racism. With the growing radicalization and spread of far-right movements, antigypsyism has intensified. Today, we call on governments to officially acknowledge and fight antigypsyism as a specific form of racism targeting Roma communities.
    Our history is part of European history, and it deserves to be told. We have contributed to the development of European societies, economies, cultures and values. Our ancestors fought side by side with other soldiers in defense of our nations. We continue to contribute to the economic, social and cultural life of our countries. Yet, our history and culture are absent from educational curricula as if it never existed. Today, we call on governments to fully include Roma history and culture into the educational curricula and textbooks, and to invest into museums, research centres and other institutions dedicated to Roma Holocaust, Roma history and Roma culture.
    It is high time that we are not alone in remembering the Roma Holocaust. Join us today to spread this message and to jointly commemorate the Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma!
    URLhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvdKVk3tqw&feature=emb_imp_woyt&ab_channel=EuropeanRomaInstituteforArtsandCulture
    PersonsRosamaria Kostic Cisneros
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Keywords

  • Roma Genocide
  • Roma
  • Genocide
  • Culture

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