The Nazi considered the Roma a "hostile element”, “genetically” prone to committing crimes and to asocial behaviors. Since 1933 they became, together with Jews, the aim of racists persecutions; first through their registration, depravation of the right to perform certain professions, to mixed marriage, then by being directed to forced labor and finally, incarcerated at concentration camps.
After the outbreak of WW2 the decision was made to resettle German Roma to occupied Poland. German police authorities began to arrest and perform the executions of the Roma within occupied territories, including also the rear of the eastern front, where they were, together with Jews, subject to mass murders by so called Einsatzkommandos.
Upon Heinrich Himmler’s order on transporting them to Auschwitz, since 1943, Sinti and Roma mainly from Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland were deported to the camp. The Germans deported to Auschwitz in total about 23 thousand Roma, with two thousand murdered without being entered into camp register. 21 thousand people were registered in the camp and 19 thousand of them perished – starved to death, due to illnesses or they were murdered in the gas chamber during the liquidation of the “Gypsy camp”.
In Block 13 within the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, exhibition commemorating the extermination of Roma and Sinti is presented, showing the specific character of genocide perpetrated on the Roma in Nazi-occupied Europe. In former Birkenau camp, within the BIIe section, the monument commemorating Roma victims is situated.
The history of Roma victims of the camp is presented in the online lesson "The Roma in Auschwitz”, one of the episodes of the podcast “On Auschwitz”, as well as 7th volume from the educational series "Voices of Memory”. The websites of Google Cultural Institute also includes the exhibition “Roma in Auschwitz” prepared by the Museum.