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On 2 August, we remember the Roma and Sinti people who suffered at the hands of the Nazis, a day of reflection in Europe and around the world on an overlooked and underreported atrocity – a chapter erased or omitted from too many world records, history books and lessons, writes Kathryn Meyer.
Dr. Kathryn Meyer is Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
The story of Stanisław Stankiewicz is a reminder of this history. Born in 1943 in Nazi-occupied Poland, Stanisław grew up in uncertainty. “Everything my family went through was filled with fear and questions about whether we would be alive tomorrow,” he recalls. Of Stanisław’s 108 extended family members, only eight survived the genocide.
His family was forced to work on the farm, where sometimes the smallest things meant the difference between life and death. Stanisław vividly remembers his father hiding in the garden to eat a piece of bread when the landowner’s son showed up. Fearing betrayal, his father offered to share his bread with him, but the boy refused and ran away. Instead of reporting him, the boy felt compassion and began to secretly provide food for his family. Stanisław believes that this act of compassion also influenced the landowner’s decision not to evict his family when the Nazis demanded it.
He later became president of the Central Committee of the Polish Roma, but his story, like many others, remains largely untold. This is partly due to limited awareness and research on the genocide. In many European countries, the Roma genocide is not taught in schools, and August 2 is not recognized as a day of remembrance.
This neglect is not just an oversight, but a profound injustice that reflects the widespread discrimination that Roma communities face across the EU today. Discrimination against Roma. A 2023 Eurobarometer survey showed that 65% of respondents said there was widespread discrimination against Roma in their country.
I urge more countries, especially those in the European Union, to officially recognize August 2 as Roma Genocide Remembrance Day and call on them to include the history of the genocide in educational curricula. Educating the next generation will help us to overcome deep-rooted prejudices and foster an environment of respect and equality.
The responsibility to uphold the truth lies not only with policymakers and educators, but also with each of us. #ProtectFacts The campaign actively fights denial and distortion of the Roma genocide. Led by the International Association for Roma Relations, the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the OSCE Office for Democracy and Human Rights, the United Nations and UNESCO, the campaign works to ensure that the memory of the victims is respected and the facts of their stories are preserved. By recognizing the genocide and protecting the facts, we work to fight hatred and discrimination.
Many of Stanisław’s family – and countless other Roma families – did not see a future after Nazi persecution, but it is not too late for us to make the Roma community feel safe and respected.
We honor the victims and survivors, ensuring that their history is not an afterthought but an integral part of our collective memory and future.
(Editing by Rajnish Singh)
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