On this day, August 2, 2014, when we mark the Roma Holocaust Day, the day which should be a warning for the humanity, the day which should be celebrated in the name of the victims
Life is equally important, equally valuable for every man. The Holocaust is a memory of evil in humankind’s turbulence, where the consequences teach us that we must empathise equally and with dignity, and respect our differences in skin colour, culture, family traditions, etc. The Jewish, together with the Roma community, virtually have in their collective memory congenital emotions about the tragedies and the destinies of their families and close people. On this day, August 2, 2014, when we mark the Roma Holocaust Day, the day which should be a warning for the humanity, the day which should be celebrated in the name of the victims, should also carry a message for the future of the human in us all.
The humanity, besides the big fight and effort for equality, justice, freedom and mutual respect, still carries hate, disrespect, segregation, stigmatization and mutual disrespect.
It looks like the hate towards the Roma remains; they are still exposed to repressive measures from many governments in the world, have the worst conditions for living and housing, don’t have access to the institutions, to education, and continue to enjoy the status as the most marginalised community.
Many strategic documents, programs and resolutions were adopted, a lot of effort was invested in order to improve the image of the social position of the Roma, but it seems that today there is a modern holocaust.
Thousands of Roma today, especially from east and southeast Europe, face the violation of the right of the freedom of movement, do not have access to healthcare services, to education, to employment, and they cannot ask to move to a better place. It is a feeling of a modern concentration camp, of poverty, of destroyed dreams for a better tomorrow, and of a humiliated human dignity.
The efforts of the European Union in its programmes for support and development of the Roma’s social position is an example for the rest of the world. We should show that the dignity and the equality belong to all people.
We are all responsible for the world we live in and the world we create, the problem of the Roma is not only theirs, it is an overall responsibility and effort, which represents the equality for all of us.
I believe that the historical lessons will be learned. Each of our defeats is an experience for a better tomorrow, for an accomplishment of the high values such as freedom and equality.
On the occasion of 2nd August, the day of the Holocaust, NRC sent a protest letter to the Embassy of the Czech Republic, to express grave concern about the pig farm built on the site of a concentration camp: the camp at Lety was constructed especially for Roma during II World War.