Europe’s Roma
and Sinti people (often labelled as ‘Gypsies’ historically) were targeted by
the Nazis for total destruction. The Porrajmos, or Porajmos, which translates
to 'the Devouring', is the term used to describe the Nazi genocide of Europe’s
Roma and Sinti populationMore than 200,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered or died as a result of
starvation or disease; around 25% of the pre-war population. Many more were
imprisoned, used as forced labour or subject to forced sterilisation and
medical experimentation.
Roma and Sinti men, women and children were targeted for persecution and
imprisonment, with a specific focus on clearing Berlin before the city hosted
the Olympic Games in 1936. As World War Two began, the persecution of Roma and
Sinti people intensified. Roma and Sinti people were deported to
ghettos including Łódź and to concentration camps
including Dachau, Mauthausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau; which had a specific
‘Gypsy Camp’.
On 26 February 1943, the first transport of Roma and Sinti men, women
and children arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Of the 23,000 Gypsies imprisoned
within the camp, it is estimated that around 20,000 were murdered.
On 2 August 1944 the Zigeunerlager (Gypsy
Camp) at Auschwitz was liquidated: 2,897 Roma and Sinti people were murdered in
the gas chambers and the remaining prisoners were deported to Buchenwald and
Ravensbrück concentration camps for forced labour.
Europe’s Roma
and Sinti people (often labelled as ‘Gypsies’ historically) were targeted by
the Nazis for total destruction. The Porrajmos, or Porajmos, which translates
to 'the Devouring', is the term used to describe the Nazi genocide of Europe’s
Roma and Sinti populationMore than 200,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered or died as a result of
starvation or disease; around 25% of the pre-war population. Many more were
imprisoned, used as forced labour or subject to forced sterilisation and
medical experimentation.
Roma and Sinti men, women and children were targeted for persecution and
imprisonment, with a specific focus on clearing Berlin before the city hosted
the Olympic Games in 1936. As World War Two began, the persecution of Roma and
Sinti people intensified. Roma and Sinti people were deported to
ghettos including Łódź and to concentration camps including Dachau, Mauthausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau; which had a specific ‘Gypsy Camp’.
ghettos including Łódź and to concentration camps including Dachau, Mauthausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau; which had a specific ‘Gypsy Camp’.
On 26 February 1943, the first transport of Roma and Sinti men, women
and children arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Of the 23,000 Gypsies imprisoned
within the camp, it is estimated that around 20,000 were murdered.
On 2 August 1944 the Zigeunerlager (Gypsy
Camp) at Auschwitz was liquidated: 2,897 Roma and Sinti people were murdered in
the gas chambers and the remaining prisoners were deported to Buchenwald and
Ravensbrück concentration camps for forced labour.
The experience of Europe’s Roma and Sinti population has parallels with
that of the Jewish people. Both populations were targeted on the grounds of
their race and had previously suffered centuries of discrimination. The
Nuremberg Laws which prohibited marriage between Jews and Aryans and enshrined
the loss of citizenship rights were also applied to Roma and Sinti. As with
Jewish children, Roma and Sinti children were banned from public schools and
adults found it increasingly difficult to maintain or secure employment.
Despite the atrocities committed against Roma and Sinti people by the
Nazi regime, their experiences were only fully recognised by the West German
Government in 1981 and the Porrajmos is
only now becoming more widely known.