Slovak President: The Holocaust of the Roma cannot be forgotten, especially when hatred is becoming a political tool once more

In honor of Roma Holocaust Memorial Day on 2 August, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová issued the following statement in Slovak and Romanes, which news server Romea.cz is republishing here in full translation:

The Holocaust of the Roma cannot remain forgotten. Human history shows us that hatred has always produced evil and human suffering.

Unfortunately, we in Slovakia also have tragic experiences with the dissemination of fear and hatred. Knowledge of this past is an acute need for both the present and the future.

These days, when hatred and the incitement of fear are again becoming political instruments, this is especially true. Hatred can take different forms, but its victims are always specific.

There have been thousands of such victims in Slovakia, and today is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. Exactly 75 years ago, the last 2 900 Romani people at Auschwitz were murdered en masse in the gas chambers there.

Those murdered included children, the elderly, the poor, and women. During the Second World War, many people became victims of hatred on the basis of their ethnicity, nationality, political affiliation, social status, disability or sexual orientation.

Today we are also experiencing an attempt to downplay the significance of hatred, to downplay the human dignity of specific groups of people. Only by means of our sensitivity to these phenomena, and through our sincere effort to create more room for what is good, will we manage to prevent that sad history from being repeated against other groups in the future.

We have no idea today who might become the next target of such hatred. We can only defeat it by creating more room for love and mutual respect.

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Romano holokaust našťi avel bisterdo. Phujipen andre manušengeri historija furt bijanelas bilačhipen u manušengero pharipen. Dukhade čačipena buchľarenas dar u phujipen, žaľa, so hin the amen pro Slovačiko. Te džanel historija hin angluno kampľipen vaš akanutne the avutne ďivesa. Zorales, kana o phujipen u daravipen pes pale keren sar politikane buťa andre akala ďivesa. Phujipen šaj te avel chocsave riga, no o marde manuša hine prindžarde. Pro Slovačiko sas ezera.

Ada ďives hin Leperdo ďives romane porraimoske. Punto anglal 75 berša sas but murdarde agorune 2 900 Roma andre plinoskere khera andro Osvienčim. Maškar lende sas čhavore, džuvľa, čore the phureder manuša.

Marde anglal phujipen andro Dujto lumakero mariben sas but manuša, vaš lengeri etnicita, nacija, politikano angluňipen, socijalno statuso, sasťipnaskero nasvaľipen abo seksualno angluňipen.

Kamľipen te charňarel phujipen u manušikaňi paťiv varesave manušikane grupenge šaj te dikhas te ada ďives. Ča lokes mamuj kale buťenge u čačipnaskera paťivaha te buchľarel than vaš o lačhipen šaj te na domukhas koda, te phari historija avel pale ki varesavi manušikaňi grupa andre avutne ďivesa. Ada ďives na musaj te džanas, ko avela lakero dureder mardo.

Phujipen šaj te murdaras ča koleha, te buchľaraha than vaš o kamiben u paťiv maškar peste.