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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article1 August 2019Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: Statement by First Vice-President Timmermans and Commissioner Jourová

Tomorrow, 2 August 2019, will mark the 75th anniversary of the murder of the last Roma victims of the Holocaust who were incarcerated in Auschwitz.

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Tomorrow, 2 August 2019, will mark the 75th anniversary of the murder of the last Roma victims of the Holocaust who were incarcerated in Auschwitz. Ahead of this occasion, First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, released a joint statement: “Ahead of the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the 500,000 Roma victims of the Holocaust. This year in particular, we commemorate with deep sadness the 75th anniversary of the murder of the last Roma who were so wrongly and brutally incarcerated in the 'Gypsy Family Camp' in Auschwitz – people who were put to death just for being who they were. There is no place in our modern European societies and political discourse for the dehumanisation of the Roma or any other minority groups. The atrocities of the past stand as a reminder that equality and non-discrimination are values which cannot be taken as given: upholding them requires our constant attention and readiness to challenge those who would attack them. (…) 75 years have passed, but we do not forget (…) We call on all Member States to recognise the Roma Holocaust and to remember 2 August as the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day across the EU.” Commissioner Jourová will visit the Auschwitz camp on Friday andattend the Commemoration ceremony held by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the Association of Roma in Poland and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. The full statement is available here.

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