Brussels, 2 August 2025
Today, on Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, the International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) solemnly commemorates the over 500,000 Roma and Sinti victims who were persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust under Nazi rule.
On the night of 2 August 1944, the so-called “Gypsy family camp” at Auschwitz-Birkenau was liquidated. In one single night, 2,897 Roma women, men, and children were gassed and cremated. This date stands as a stark reminder of the deliberate erasure and centuries-long marginalisation faced by Roma communities across Europe.
Yet, over seven decades later, anti-Roma racism persists. Roma communities across Europe still endure systemic discrimination, segregation, and poverty. In some countries, Roma children are placed in segregated schools, Roma families are denied access to healthcare and housing, and hate crimes go unpunished.
IFRD calls on all governments and institutions—especially within the European Union—to:
• Recognise and teach the full history of the Porajmos (Roma genocide) in educational curricula.
• Acknowledge the enduring effects of anti-Roma discrimination in policy.
• Take concrete action to protect Roma rights and ensure equal access to justice, education, and opportunity.
Commemoration must come with commitment. It is not enough to remember; we must act.
We stand in solidarity with Roma communities worldwide in the struggle for truth, justice, and dignity.
Never again must mean never again for everyone.
