Roma Holocaust Memorial Day marks the Nazi murder of Roma and Sinti at Auschwitz on 2-3 August 1944

On 2 and 3 August 1944 the Nazis murdered 2 898 Roma and Sinti in the gas chambers of the concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Roma and Sinti all over Europe, therefore, commemorate 2 August as Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.
Roma and Sinti were also murdered during the operation of other concentration camps, primarily Bełżec, Chełmno, Majdanka, Sobibór and Treblinka. Other Roma and Sinti whose numbers it is difficult to estimate were also shot and buried in mass graves in forests.
The Nazis first attempted to murder all the prisoners of the so-called "Gypsy Camp" at Auschwitz on 16 May 1944. A rebellion by the Romani prisoners prevented them from doing so.
"The prisoners refused to come out, they barricaded the doors and desperately prepared to defend themselves with rocks and work tools," historian Michal Schuster informed news server Romea.cz. "The SS were startled by this refusal to obey and their commander decided to postpone the action."
For that reason, the date of 16 May 1944 has entered history as the Day of Romani Resistance. Nazi Germany's annihilation policy eventually murdered at least an estimated half a million Roma and Sinti from all over Europe, with the upper estimate being 800 000 Romani and Sinti victims, or anywhere between one-quarter to one-half of the prewar population of Roma and Sinti.
Don't miss:
- Czech Parliament marks International Holocaust Memorial Day with Romani speaker
- Czech Culture Minister's statement on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day
- EU Commissioners on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: Too many Roma are victims of hate crime in Europe
- Czech Roma to mark International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day at Auschwitz memorial
- Europe marks Roma Holocaust Memorial Day from Georgia to Ireland
- Czech Republic: Sparse attendance at Romani Holocaust Memorial Day
Related articles:
- Czech archaeologists find remains of yet another WWII-era concentration camp for Roma
- Commemorative ceremony at Hodonín memorial in Czech Republic 20 August honors Romani and Sinti victims of the Holocaust
- Slovak Prime Minister says the Holocaust and its Romani victims must be remembered so that its "bloody history" will never be repeated
- Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová on the Holocaust and its Romani victims: Romani people are a full-fledged component of our society
- VIDEO: European Roma Holocaust Memorial ceremony at Auschwitz was virtual this year, Slovak and Austrian Presidents spoke
- LIVE BROADCAST: Pandemic limits participation in commemorative ceremony at Auschwitz Memorial, but Slovak President will attend
- European Commission President calls on EU Member States to combat discrimination against Romani people
- More Czech towns and villages announce they are flying the Romani flag to honor European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day
- Evening commemoration of European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day 2 August in Czech capital - Leperiben: We Do Not Forget
- Thirty years ago, Czechoslovak President Havel spoke on the right of Romani people to their national self-awareness
- Czech website on the Holocaust launches database of victims labeled "cikáni" by the Nazis and their accomplices
- Commemoration at WWII-era concentration camp for Roma in Czech Republic to give Award for Humanity to Gwendolyn Albert
Tags:
History, Památný den romského holocaustu, pietní akt, výročíHEADLINE NEWS
