Eastern European nations mark August 2 as Roma Holocaust remembrance day
Several Central and Eastern European countries observe August 2 as a day to honor Roma and Sinti victims of the Nazi genocide, holding ceremonies at sites such as Auschwitz and local memorials.
August 2 has been designated as the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, a date first commemorated in 1994 for the liquidation of the Gypsy Family Camp at Auschwitz. The European Parliament formalized the observance in 2015, and a number of Central and Eastern European states now hold remembrance activities on this day. In Poland, parliamentary delegations travel to Auschwitz and also mark a July 3 massacre in Szczurowa; Czechia hosts ceremonies at the former Lety camp, recently converted from a pig farm, with attendance by President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia each conduct their own services, often at historic camp sites or national memorials, and many involve government representatives. These commemorations aim both to remember the half-million Roma and Sinti murdered during World War II and to raise awareness of contemporary Antiziganism.
Why it matters
The observances keep the memory of the Roma genocide alive and draw attention to present-day anti-Roma prejudice.
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