On April 8, a ceremony to mark International Roma Day will take place at the Parliament in Vienna. Two new monuments to forgotten Roma Nazi victims were unveiled in Loipersdorf and Kitzladen on Saturday.
International Roma Day has taken place every year on April 8 since 1990. This date is intended to remind us that this ethnic group was denied access to social life for a long time. A commemorative event entitled “ROMNJAKraft.Sor Remembrance – Change – Departure” will take place today at the Parliament in Vienna. The emphasis is on the role of women. The second focus of the event is on the genocide of the Roma and Sinti. Speaker of the State Parliament Robert Hergovich will also participate. “What has always distinguished Burgenland is its special cultural and linguistic diversity. And the Burgenland Roma are part of this as an integral part of this unique Burgenland identity,” said the chairman of the state parliament.
Hergovich: Racism and exclusion have no place in society
The recognition of the Roma and Sinti as an indigenous ethnic group more than thirty years ago represents a “milestone in Austrian minority policy”. Much progress and improvement has also been achieved through committed ethnic group work and ethnic group policy, especially in Burgenland, for example in the areas of education, culture and language preservation. “We must continue on this path, because joint efforts remain necessary for the social equality of Roma and Romani people,” Hergovich emphasizes.
Temmel calls on people to commit themselves to an inclusive society
Politicians have a major responsibility to ensure that the rights and needs of the Roma and Sinti are respected and supported, just like the 2nd President of the State Parliament, Walter Temmel. “It is up to all of us to work together to create a society based on respect, tolerance and solidarity. International Roma Day reminds us that we must continue to advocate for the rights and well-being of all members of our society,” Temmel emphasizes.
Two new memorials in memory of the Roma murdered during the Nazi era
A monument to the forgotten Roma Nazi victims was unveiled in Loipersdorf and Kitzladen on Saturday. Before 1938, there were 115 Roma living in Loipersdorf and 48 Roma in Kitzladen who were deported to concentration camps during the Nazi era and never returned. “These two memorial plaques are intended to commemorate their fate. It is our duty to deal with this part of our history. We must remember the fate of the people murdered under National Socialism and not forget it. The two new memorials are an important contribution to the work of memory and commemoration,” said State Councilor Leonhard Schneemann at the memorial service. The new ethnic group house in Oberwart will make an important contribution to the promotion of the ethnic groups. The memorials were erected by the community of Loipersdorf/Kitzladen in collaboration with Roma interest groups and supported by the state of Burgenland.
Source: Krone
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