PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Belgrade, 2nd December 2012 – President of World Roma Organization Jovan Damjanovic and general secretary of World Roma Organization Bajram Haliti participated amongst others on the conference “Learning from the past: the Roma Holocaust” that was organized on 26th November 2012 in European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, in organization of ERIO, “Europe for citizens”, European Commission and European Economic and Social Committee.

President of World Roma Organization Jovan Damjanovic:

“Respected ladies and gentlemen, I want to greet all present persons and thank to Mr. Ivanov – ERIO’s executive director, as well to other co-organizers for invitation to participate on this significant conference.

With law about protection of German blood was massively executed genocide over the Roma. First in Germany, and then in all European countries occupied by the Third Reich. Decrees, provisions, persecutions, evictions, executions without evidence, crimes for prevention and self-protection, prisons, ghettos, prohibited zones, gas chambers of Auschwitz, experimental scalpels of doctors from Auschwitz, Dachau and Buchenwald and other torture chambers took the lives of 3,500,000 Roma. Shortly, Roma passed Dante’s hell from Vitosa, via Jassy and Auschwitz, to Jasenovac.

Historians forget those 3,500,000 Roma, who disappeared in the smoke of crematories or bonfires built by Nazis. However, it is a fact. In most books about concentration camps – there is not even one line, even a phrase about Roma.

Roma genocide’s victims haven’t been compensated. Entire world knows for killing of six and half millions of Jews; entire world speaks about tragedy of Jewish nation. However, few of them speak about Roma tragedy; few knows that in camps of Third Reich were both killed three and half millions of Roma.

Our three and half millions of Roma in World War II still haven’t been officially recognized from side of German government. There is no any official book in which is spoken about Roma Holocaust. Let’s say that three and half millions is closest to truth - three and half millions for one forgotten Holocaust.

Starting from Poraimos in World War II should be started questions of humanity, democracy and equal value of all people. So far, on this issue only Swedish government done something, when in June 1997 on head with president of government Geran Persson, Karl Bilt, Olof Johansson, Lars Leijonborg, Mariann Samuelssen and Alf Svensson started initiative for wide informative enterprise about Annihilation with title “Live history”.

Roma are nation towards whom history haven’t been gentle, towards whom it was even expressively cruel. Despite the fact that they lived and survived numerous extremely difficult conditions, many continued requisitions, many humiliations, persecutions and pogroms, they still remained expressively proud nation.

What is necessary to be done now is:

• To gather in one place all available documentation about suffering of Roma in World War II, and especially genocide victims;

• To ask from European Council in Strasbourg to enable gathering of all material about genocide in one center;

• To establish a center for genocide, by which would be acquired location from which later would grow museum with staff which would be supported by all interested persons materially and with information;

• It is necessary to make a “database” about genocide victims with first and last name of victims, with use of modern computer technology.

Determination of number of genocide victims in World War II should be a basis for setting the request for full compensation to Roma victims of genocide.” – concluded Damjanovic, and informed organizers with World Roma Organization’s position that soon should be held special conference in Council of Europe with one subject – “Roma Territoriality”, apropos idea of gathering Roma in its own state out of states in which they currently exist. President Damjanovic argued proposal of establishing its own state with following premises:

• In some European countries are still drastically violated Roma human rights, and still is present segregation in education, and still are present racial attacks to our national minority, and still there is no understanding for integration of our national community in some countries in which Roma exist, and still there is no understanding for affirmation of cultural value and getting institutions for development of national identity of Roma national community, and still Roma live on endmost margins of poorness, and still is denied use of Roma language in educational institutions and medias… Those are in brief most important reasons for starting the initiative for establishing of Roma state.”

General secretary of World Roma Organization Bajram Haliti:

World War II brought to Roma greatest sufferings that history records about this nation. In function of racial-fascistic theory of “pure race” Roma are persecuted worse than the beasts. They are taken into the concentration camps, killed or exterminated in gas chambers.

Fascism and Nazism inflicted too much evil to humanity so that they could be so easily forgot. Those evils even mustn’t be forgotten! Reminding on them, as a darkest part of newer human history, is in the interest of all nations and societies of the world. That is in the interest of nations and those countries on whose territory Fascism arisen as an ideology and form of rule. Not to infinitely bear the hypothec and complex of guiltiness that, by the way, even can’t be attributed to part of contemporaries of Fascism, and not to future generations, but to fight with other nations jointly for complete eradication of old and every new Fascism and neo-Nazism as a common enemy. This is even more important since the ideology of Fascism and Nazism is not even far away repressed from the minds of individuals, groups and entire layers, as their ideally and political preference, but it long time ago finds its embodiment in organizing and activities of its old and new supporters.

Nazis have during their panic run from Auschwitz at the end of 1945 burned or destroyed all material that could offer statistical data to determine how many prisoners were killed in Auschwitz.

In that way were destroyed all registers, directories, card-indexes, books about economy, as well as official acts, which could after all offer to us some data, although – according to testimonies of witnesses – they were recorded incorrectly, disorderly and in non-systematic manner.
Therefore it is not possible to answer to question how many victims were killed in Auschwitz, and other camps of death of Third Reich. There are very little prisoners who were in camps for some time and released to freedom, and there is not even a hundred of them who succeeded in last hour to break through out of camp.

On the conference was earlier highlighted that Nazis were sending to camps of Third Reich prisoners for work; it was highlighted that there were arriving numerous transports of men, women and children, who were brought to camp and there liquidated in nights, or were killed somewhere in surroundings of camp, and that they even haven’t been brought to the camp.

As it was underlined, it will never be possible to determine precise number of victims that was swallowed by Auschwitz-Burkenau, but based on all researches, it can be concluded that number of 3.500.000 corresponds to reality about sufferings of Roma in camps of Third Reich.

Based on determined facts, witnesses, historical and legal documents, it is doubtless that during World War II was performed genocide crime over the Roma.

All of us who want to live in society that is distinguished with human values, democracy and equality of all people, must raise against the ideology of violence and establish bridges of cooperation and tolerance. We can’t peacefully and quietly watch as ideas of neo-Nazism are again spread and as their crimes are being denied. Who forgot history, he risks to repeat it.” – concluded Haliti.

Secretariat of
World Roma Organization