Oświęcim: Commemoration

On October 21st, 1981, an incident occurred in Oświęcim that quickly turned into a series of acts of violence directed against Roma families. The argument between Roma and non-Roma over their place in the queue escalated to such an extent that the townspeople formed a committee to “expel the Gypsies” from Auschwitz. Houses were set on fire, cars were destroyed, and physical violence was committed. Over 100 people were forced to leave the town and eventually the country. Instead of passports, the Roma were given so-called travel documents, which allowed them to leave Poland but did not allow them to return.