Lead

Every year on August 2, Europe observes the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, commemorating the Nazi genocide of an estimated 500,000 European Roma and Sinti during World War II. The date was declared the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day by the European Parliament in 2015, but Eastern European countries have adopted it at different times—and some not at all, according to reporting by Deutsche Welle.

Coverage Comparison

Deutsche Welle's reporting traces the history of the memorial day, which originated from efforts by Polish Roma groups to commemorate the liquidation of the 'Gypsy Family Camp' at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Extermination Camp on the night of August 2-3, 1944. That event was first commemorated in 1994, half a century after it occurred.

The report details which countries in central and southeastern Europe observe August 2 and since when. Poland, which is home to an estimated 30,000 Roma, has been observing the day since 2011, with ceremonies typically including visits by parliamentary and governmental representatives to the Auschwitz Memorial. The Czech Republic followed in 2015, the same year the European Parliament made the date official. Slovakia and Hungary have observed the day since 2005, and Croatia did so starting in 2014. North Macedonia has observed it since 2017, and Romania since 2020.

However, two countries in the region have not declared August 2 as an official day of remembrance: Bulgaria and Serbia. The report does not specify reasons for their non-participation.

Key Claims

  • Approximately 500,000 European Roma and Sinti were killed during World War II, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
  • August 2 is the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, declared by the European Parliament in 2015.
  • The Nazi liquidation of the 'Gypsy Family Camp' in Auschwitz-Birkenau occurred on the evening of August 2-3, 1944.
  • Poland has observed August 2 since 2011; the Czech Republic since 2015; Slovakia and Hungary since 2005; Romania since 2020; Croatia since 2014; and North Macedonia since 2017.
  • Bulgaria and Serbia have not declared August 2 as an official day of remembrance.
  • The memorial days also serve to raise awareness of ongoing Antiziganism and its consequences.