Roma and Sinti among Holocaust victims

On the occasion of the International Remembrance Holocaust Day commemorated on 27th January 2020, MEP Peter Pollak initiated and co-organised various discussions in the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the European Union as well as in the European Parliament, remembering the suffering of Roma and Sinti people during the darkest chapter of  history of humankind, the Second World War.

Peter Pollak underlined "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where thousands of Roma men, women and children from the "Gypsy Family Camp" were murdered in the gas chambers. They were among the hundreds of thousands of Roma genocide victims killed by the Nazis and their allies.

The Roma holocaust remains under-studied, an unknown topic for many of Roma and non-Roma people, since it is something we don't talk and learn about. The topic remains neglected. The Roma were one of the groups who fell victim of the holocaust.

It is unthinkable that nowadays, there is a distortion of facts and efforts to deny the unimaginable suffering of these people. It is necessary to talk and educate about this topic, especially in these times when extremism is on the rise and incitement of fear and hatred is a common reality of everyday life.

I welcome that at today´s opening of the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels a solemn commemoration of all victims will take place and Roma and Sinti victims will not be forgotten", concluded Peter Pollak.