Today, 2 August, European institutions and peoples commemorate 500,000 Roma murdered in the Nazi-occupied Europe. They represented at least a quarter of the total Roma population at that time.
In 2015, the European Parliament declared 2 August the annual “European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day”.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, and Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality issued a joint statement on the occasion.
“As the number of survivors and witnesses of these atrocities is dwindling, it is our duty, now more than ever, to continue their work of memory and to pass on their testimonies.
Europe has a duty to protect its minorities from racism and discrimination. We must replace anti-gypsyism with openness and acceptance, hate speech and hate crime with tolerance and respect for human dignity, and bullying with education about the Holocaust. Above all, we must promote diversity as a wonderful gift that makes Europe strong and resilient,” they stated.
Albania’s 2011 census registered 8301 Roma people but researchers believe their number, as well as that of the Egyptian community (3369 people), are underreported. [pdf link in Albanian] Despite numerous strategies and programs throughout the last three decades, mainly supported with European funds, the Roma people in Albania remain discriminated against. They suffer under low levels of education, employment, and economic status, difficult living conditions and social stigma.
Commissioner Dalli will be the main speaker in an official virtual Holocaust Commemoration Ceremony of the European Holocaust Memorial Day of Roma and Sinti to be held today at the initiative of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.
