Remembering Holocaust Victims, Secretary-General Urges ‘Stand Together’ to Protect Human Rights of Roma, in Observance Message at Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland, for Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti, observed today:

It is a great honour, and a great sadness, to mark the Holocaust Memorial Day for Roma and Sinti in this landmark year.

Eighty years ago, the last surviving Roma and Sinti in Auschwitz-Birkenau were murdered.  This was a despicable episode in a despicable history of persecution, systemic mass murder and outright genocide perpetrated by the Nazis and their collaborators.  Their relentless brutality saw up to 500,000 Roma killed, communities devastated and age-old culture shattered across Europe.

For too long, these atrocities were downplayed, diminished, and denied.  Today, we honour the memory of all those murdered and deprived of their humanity. We pay tribute to the survivors and promise never to forget.  We commend the courage of Roma and Sinti resistance.  And we commit to combating hate.

The prejudice that fuelled the Nazis’ terrible crimes did not end with their downfall.  It continued — denying justice and distorting history.  And it remains today.  The sad reality is that Roma people face rampant discrimination in all areas of life and all parts of the world, not least in Europe.

Extremist and xenophobic groups are spreading hate speech, scapegoating marginalized communities and sowing fear and division.

We must stand together:  To fight bigotry whenever and wherever it appears; to protect and promote the human rights of Roma; and to build a world in which all people live in dignity, peace and freedom.

The United Nations is your unwavering ally in that cause.