A round table on distortions of the Roma genocide was held in Zagreb on the 14th of May.
Zagreb Conference
Tag Archives: Holocaust
Slovenia: Victim Remnants
The parliamentary group of the Slovenian Democratic Party has submitted a request to convene an urgent session of the Committee for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities. At the session, they want to discuss the item entitled Piety and dignified burial of the murdered victims from the clandestine cemetery Jama pod Macesnova gorica.
The reason for the request is the decision of the Ministry of Défense to temporarily transfer more than 3,000 mortal remains of victims of interwar and post-war violence, some of them Roma, which have so far been stored in inappropriate conditions in the garage of Komunala Kočevje, to the ossuary near Škofja Loka. “Despite announcements about seeking consensus with relatives and the general public, the transfer was carried out unilaterally, without prior agreement on the final burial location,” the SDS parliamentary group warns.
- Barbarsko ravnanje s pomorjenimi bo obravnavano pred komisijo DZ. In: Nova 24 TV. 13.05.2025.https://novice.najdi.si/novica/9781300002f9dd2fdc2db0cf781c7469/nova24tv/barbarsko-ravnanje-s-pomorjenimi-bo-obravnavano-pred-komisijo-dz
Lety Commemoration
Two articles on the commemoration in Lety last week end. Both stress the fact that hatred against Roma is on the rise again.
- „Nenávist roste. Odpovědí musí být vzdělávání,“ uvedla romská vládní zmocněnkyně Lucie Fuková v Letech u Písku. In: Romea. 11.05.2025. https://romea.cz/cz/komentare/nenavist-roste-odpovedi-musi-byt-vzdelavani-uvedla-romska-vladni-zmocnenkyne-lucie-fukova-v-letech-u-pisku#google_vignette
- Lhostejnost otevírá dveře násilí, zdůraznil při pietě v Letech šéf Senátu. In: O3. 11.05.2025. https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/lhostejnost-otevira-dvere-nasili-zduraznil-pri-piete-v-letech-sef-senatu-360872
Lety Museum
The Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial in Bohemia was opened in Lety by the Museum of Roma Culture last April. According to the museum’s director, Jana Horváthová, the memorial’s indoor exhibition was visited by about 10,000 people in its first year of operation last year. And she emphasized that among them were numerous school trips.
“But the Museum of Romani Culture cannot function alone in this matter (education). A national education policy is essential. It is absolutely essential that the topic of Romani history and culture be included in the framework educational programs, that it be taught in schools at least from the second level (elementary school). It is not yet,” said Horváthová.
- Je to lhostejnost, která otevírá dveře genocidě a holokaustu, zdůraznil v Letech Miloš Vystrčil. In: iRozhlas. 11.05.2025. https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/je-lhostejnost-ktera-otevira-dvere-genocide-a-holokaustu-zduraznil-v-letech_2505111449_cen
Lety: Commemoration
The traditional commemorative ceremony honoring the memory of the Holocaust and its Romani and Sinti victims took place at the site of what was previously called the “Gypsy Camp” in Lety u Písku on Sunday, may 11th.
- LIVE BROADCAST 11 MAY at 12:00 CET: Commemorative ceremony honoring the memory of the Holocaust and its Romani victims at the site of the former concentration camp in Lety u Písku, Czech Republic. In: Romea. 09.05.2025. https://romea.cz/en/czech-republic/live-broadcast-11-may-at-1200-cet-commemorative-ceremony-honoring-the-memory-of-the-holocaust-and-its-romani-victims-at-the-site-of-the-former-concentration-camp-in-lety-u-pisku-czech-republic
Lety: Commemoration
On Sunday, May 11, 2025, at 12 noon, a traditional commemoration of the Roma and Sinti Holocaust victims will take place in Lety u Písku, which will take place at the site of the former so-called gypsy camp. The annual gathering commemorates the tragic fate of hundreds of Roma men, women and children who were deported from this place to extermination camps. The commemoration will also be possible to watch live this year thanks to the first Roma internet television, ROMEA TV, which will offer a live broadcast from the site.
- PŘÍMÝ PŘENOS: Pietní akt k uctění památky romských obětí holokaustu na místě bývalého koncentračního tábora v Letech u Písku. In: Romea. 09.05.2025. https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/primy-prenos-pietni-akt-k-ucteni-pamatky-romskych-obeti-holokaustu-na-miste-byvaleho-koncentracniho-tabora-v-letech-u-pisku#google_vignette
Memorial
Thirteen people, including four children, were executed by the Nazis in November 1944 in Valaská Belá in the Prievidza district of Slovakia. A monument commemorating the victims of the Roma Holocaust stands at the site of the mass execution.
- Nacisti vo Valaskej Belej popravili 13 Rómov vrátane detí. In: Teraz. 02.05.2025. https://www.teraz.sk/regiony/nacisti-vo-valaskej-belej-popravili-13-r/875281-clanok.html
Exhibition
On Monday, April 28, the Matej Hrebenda Library hosted the opening of a traveling exhibition titled The Fates of the Racially Persecuted in Slovakia in 1939–1945. The exhibition, prepared by the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica, will be open to the public until June 13, 2025.
The exhibition consists of 16 panels that map the solution to the so-called Jewish question in Slovakia in 1939–1945. It is thematically dedicated to the creation of propaganda, the creation of the image of the enemy, anti-Semitism, and human rights violations during World War II.
- Výstava v knižnici približuje tragické osudy Židov a Rómov na Slovensku. In: Rimava. 28.04.2025. https://www.rimava.sk/spravy-z-regionu/vystava-v-kniznici-priblizuje-tragicke-osudy-zidov-a-romov-na-slovensku/
French Chronicle …
Quite a few articles in the French press about the deportation of Roma during World War Two wit a special commemoration on the “Dzy of Deportation” on Roma in the deportaion Museum in Tarbes, France.
- Musée de la Déportation : se souvenir des déportés roms. In: La Dépêche. 24.04.2025. https://www.ladepeche.fr/2025/04/24/musee-de-la-deportation-se-souvenir-des-deportes-roms-12654847.php
- Devoir de mémoire pour les déportés. In: La Ville de Tarbes. 23.04.2025. https://www.tarbes.fr/actualite/journee-souvenirs-deportation-2025/
- Mémoire et résilience : honorer les héros et victimes de la deportation. In: Tarbes Info. 24.04.2025. https://www.tarbes-infos.com/spip.php?article40761
Sinti and Roma Resistance
The Human Rights Foundation, in collaboration with Carta di Roma and the contribution of Unar National Office Against Racial Discrimination, has created a podcast to enhance the role that Roma and Sinti had in the Liberation. Starting from an extraordinary interview recovered from the Shoah Foundation by Amilcare Debar, a Sinto from Cuneo, partisan, battle name Corsaro.
- “Uno di noi. Rom e sinti nella Resistenza”, il podcast in onda dal 25 aprile su Radio Popolare. In: Liberainformazione. 24.04.2025. https://www.liberainformazione.org/2025/04/23/uno-di-noi-rom-e-sinti-nella-resistenza-il-podcast-in-onda-dal-25-aprile-su-radio-popolare/
Lety: Memorial Service
On Sunday, May 11, 2025, a memorial service will be held at the Roma and Sinti Holocaust Memorial to honor the victims of the Nazi regime. The event is organized by the Roma Holocaust Compensation Committee under the auspices of the government commissioner Lucie Fuková.
- V Letech u Písku proběhne 11. května tradiční pietní akt. Připomene romské a židovské oběti holokaustu. In: Romea. 23.04.2025. https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/v-letech-u-pisku-probehne-11-kvetna-tradicni-pietni-akt-pripomene-romske-a-zidovske-obeti-holokaustu#google_vignette
France and the Genocide
An action in France for the recognition of the genocide of the Roma (and the participation of France in it.
- 80 ANS APRÈS, LE GÉNOCIDE DES ROMS MÉRITE RECONNAISSANCE. Ligue des Droits de l”Homme. 10.04.2025. https://www.ldh-france.org/80-ans-apres-le-genocide-des-roms-merite-reconnaissance/
- Pour la reconnaissance du génocide des Roms et des Voyageurs. In: Contre-Attaque. 11.04.2025. https://contre-attaque.net/2025/04/11/pour-la-reconnaissance-du-genocide-des-roms-et-des-voyageurs/
Austria: Memorial
For National Council President Walter Rosenkranz (FPÖ), the erection of a memorial to the Roma and Sinti persecuted and murdered under National Socialism is “a long overdue step.” “I very much hope that the ongoing search for a location will soon lead to a positive outcome,” he said in his opening speech at the event marking International Roma Remembrance Day in Parliament.
- Rosenkranz: Denkmal „längst überfällig“. In: ORF. 09.04.2025. https://volksgruppen.orf.at/slovenci/meldungen/stories/3300593/
Liberec: Vandals
A vandal damaged a memorial of Roma children from the Czech city of Liberec who were murdered during the Holocaust. The memorial was only erected a year agao.
Shame!
- Komunitní práce v Luži pomáhá romským dětem získat lepší vzdělání, říká koordinátor. In: Česki Rozhlas. 03.04.2025. https://pardubice.rozhlas.cz/komunitni-prace-v-luzi-pomaha-romskym-detem-ziskat-lepsi-vzdelani-rika-9445121
- Vandal v Liberci poškodil pomník zavražděných romských dětí: Jména přeťal sekerou. In: Blesk. 05.04.2025. https://www.blesk.cz/clanek/zpravy-krimi/810316/vandal-v-liberci-poskodil-pomnik-zavrazdenych-romskych-deti-jmena-pretal-sekerou.html
- Vandal poničil sekerou pomník zavražděným romským dětem, ťal do jmen nemluvňat. In: iDnes. 04.05.2025. https://www.idnes.cz/liberec/zpravy/vandal-sekera-jmena-romskych-deti-koncentracni-tabor-pomnik.A250404_161956_liberec-zpravy_jape
Środa, Poland: Conference
A special meeting dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Roma and Sinti Genocide during World War II will be held in the Środa Library Aprill 11th. The speaker will be Lucyna Matkowska, née Ondycz, a representative of the second generation of Holocaust survivors from Środa. She will share moving memories of her family, reflections on the memory and legacy of this tragedy, and the challenges facing future generations.
- Holokaust Romów i Sinti – szczególne spotkanie w średzkiej bibliotece. In: Roland Gazeta. 02.04.2025. https://www.roland-gazeta.pl/najnowsze/sroda-slaska/holokaust-romow-i-sinti-szczegolne-spotkanie-w-sredzkiej-bibliotece
Łodz – Litzmannstadt Ghetto
The “Gypsy” camp in Łódź was the first ghetto intended exclusively for Roma and Sinti in occupied Polish lands. In the Łódź ghetto, it was located on Wojska Polskiego, Obrońców Westerplatte, Starosikawska and Głowackiego (in today’s street names). in November 1941 almost five thousand Roma and Sinti from Burgenland (the Austro-Hungarian border) were imprisoned.
A guided tour is organised on April 10th at 18:00.
- Zwiedzanie wystawy “Obóz cygański w getcie łódzkim” oraz spacer wzdłuż granic obozu cygańskiego w Muzeum Tradycji Niepodległościowych. In: Łodz. 10.04.2025. https://uml.lodz.pl/lato-w-lodzi/kalendarz-letnich-wydarzen/wydarzenie/zwiedzanie-wystawy-oboz-cyganski-w-getcie-lodzkim-oraz-spacer-wzdluz-granic-obozu-cyganskiego-id114549/2025/04/10/
Genocide of the Roma
An exhibition on the Genocide of the Roma during the Nazi Era. What is unfortunate is the use of the word “Tsigane” in its title, and in the title of the article.
- Génocide tzigane : la réalité crue d’un documentaire sur une exécution de masse. In: RTBF. 24.03.2025. https://www.rtbf.be/article/genocide-tzigane-la-realite-crue-d-un-documentaire-sur-une-execution-de-masse-11517581
Poland: Memorial
A new memorial for 77 Roma who were murdered in Karczew, Poland, in 1943 is planned. During the interwar period, travelling Roma would come to the village of Przewóz (now part of Karczew) for wintering and rented rooms from local farmers. From 1939, Roma lived in the village, as the Germans banned them from travelling. The life of the local Roma community ended tragically on January 2, 1943. Several German soldiers surrounded the village and began to drag Roma out of their homes onto the streets. Anyone who resisted was immediately shot; a total of 77 people were killed during the executions.
- Skwer pamięci Romów. In: Przeglad Otwocki. 24.03.2025. https://www.przegladotwocki.pl/artykul/3216,skwer-pamieci-romow
Czechia, Roma, and the Genocide
March 11, 1943, 642 Roma men, women and children were deported to Auschwitz Birkenau from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. This was the beginning of the systematic extermination of Roma in that region.
For the majority of Czechoslovak society at the time, this remained on the fringes of interest. Although there were cases where local residents showed sympathy or tried to help, in general, there was little awareness of the fate of the Roma. And after the war, the tragedy of the Roma Holocaust was neglected for a long time. The participation of Czech gendarmes and camp commanders in the genocide of the Roma during World War II was denied for forty years under communism. The taboo was broken after the revolution by historian Ctibor Nečas and journalist Markus Pape, and courageous activists from among Roma also played their part. For example, Jan Hauer, Antonín Lagryn or Čeněk Růžička, all sons of Leti prisoners.
- “Mordovali mě tam Češi.” Vzpomínky Romů na tzv. cikánský tábor v Letech. In: Aktualne. 16.03.2025. https://zpravy.aktualne.cz/domaci/mordovali-me-tam-cesi-vzpominky-romu-na-tzv-cikansky-tabor-v/r~f415621e00e211f0ae9c0cc47ab5f122/
Kateřina Čapková
Kateřina Čapková currently works at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies, where she researches the various political strategies towards Roma and Romnja during the Nazi era. In the future, Austria will also increasingly be a focus of her work. Her goal: to finally make historical findings accessible to the general public.
Čapková is a Czech historian and university professor specializing in the history of Roma. Her academic career began in the 1990s at Charles University in Prague. While still a student, she worked in the Department of Jewish Studies at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences.
- Expertin für Roma Geschichte am Wiener Wiesenthal Institut für Holocaust-Studien. In: Volksgruppen – ORF. 13.03.2025. https://volksgruppen.orf.at/roma/meldungen/stories/3295285/
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