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crucial role in both the present and the future. When discussing memory and an extremely traumatic experience of one of the most marginalised minorities in Europe, it is essential to not only reflect on the past but also consider the present circumstances,’ he said.
‘Several times today, we shall hear terms like discrimination, inequality, and limited access to basic necessities for the Roma community in our 21st century Europe. I wish to draw attention to the fact that the problem encompasses a much broader context. We are currently experiencing instances of language or actions that suggest dehumanisation, particularly amidst the growing tide of populism. Dehumanisation is generally the final phase preceding the direst consequences,’ he stressed.
In his speech, Auschwitz survivor Marian Turski spoke about the memorial dedicated to the Roma tragedy in Salzburg he saw 30 years ago. He then asked the author about his interpretation of the work. ‘He said that the five sheets of metal symbolise five decades after the events. This memory evaporates after many years. A gap remains. Human memory fades. So, I say: if that's the case, man, don't forget. Be vigilant.’
‘Today, 30 years later, we see a new surge of terror, aggression and hate speech, a surge of antisemitism, hostility to strangers, or antigypsyism. I can only repeat after the creator of the monument: man, don't be indifferent to aggression, don't be indifferent to hate speech. For it starts with hate speech and ends with Auschwitz,’ stressed Marian Turski.
The history of the Roma and Sinti victims of the camp is explored in the online lesson “The Roma in Auschwitz", , one of the episodes of the podcast "About Auschwitz", and the 7th volume of the educational series Voices of Remembrance. Also available on the Google Cultural Institute website is the Museum's “The Roma in Auschwitz" exhibition.
In Block 13 on the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, an exhibition is open to the public in remembrance of the Roma Genocide. It shows the dimension of the genocide committed against the Roma in German-occupied Europe.
On the morning of 2 August, official guests of the commemoration visited the exhibition. The Roma and Sinti victims are commemorated in a memorial located in section BIIe of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp.