Statement on Romani Genocide Remembrance Day

August 2, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, today issued the following statement:

“Eighty years ago, on August 2, 1944, a group of around 4,000 Romani children, women and men imprisoned in the ‘Gypsy family camp’ of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in occupied Poland were murdered in its gas chambers. The murders were part of a Nazi genocide in which more than 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were imprisoned, tortured and killed leading up to and during the Second World War. Nearly 90% of the Central European Roma population were murdered.

“Today, a mere 8 decades later, we strongly condemn these atrocious acts of violence, and honour those who suffered and those who bravely resisted.

“Each year on August 2, it is essential that we remember the Roma genocide, aptly known in Romani as the Porajmos [the devouring] and the Samudaripen [the mass killing]. The victims lived meaningful lives but were stripped of their ability to fulfill their hopes and dreams. We must also recognize that this atrocity has created generational trauma for Romani survivors and that many Romani people today experience anti-Gypsy and anti-Roma hatred and discrimination. The lack of public awareness of the Roma genocide contributes to ongoing prejudice, discrimination and racially motivated violence.

“As a country that finds its strength in its values of diversity and inclusion, Canada is committed to fighting back against racism and hate in all its forms. Through our forthcoming anti-hate action plan and our renewed Anti-racism Strategy, launched in June 2024, Canada is actively confronting acts that threaten the fundamental values that underpin our society, contribute to social fragmentation, and incite violence. We are also enhancing the Security Infrastructure Program for communities at risk, and we are supporting the development of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of ‘anti-Gypsyism/anti-Roma discrimination’, which is a key tool in identifying and resisting this persistent form of racism.

“On this solemn day, Canada stands with Romani communities worldwide and recommits to building a world where the human rights of all are respected.”