AK Sinti/Roma und Kirchen

Holocaust Gedenktag. Auschwitz. 2.8.1944

https://mailchi.mp/cec-kek/european-churches-affirm-their-ongoing-commitment-on-roma-holocaust-day?e=b33278a56d

Press Release No: 19/20 CEC issued jointly with the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe. 2 August 2019, Brussels 

European churches affirm their ongoing commitment on Roma Holocaust Day

On the occasion of Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) are calling on churches to join commemorations, honour and pray for those affected by the Roma Holocaust.

The Roma Holocaust—also known as the Porajmos, meaning “devouring” or “destruction” in Romani language, is remembered every year on 2 August. This is a date when the so-called “gipsy family camp” within the Auschwitz concentration camp was liquidated and some 3,000 persons were killed in 1944. The day commemorates Roma, Sinti, Yenish, Kale and related groups that were systematically persecuted and killed during the Nazi time. It also serves as a reminder of the contemporary discrimination of this biggest minority group in Europe.

Dr Torsten Moritz, CCME General Secretary stated, “Remembering the Porjamos is an ongoing commitment for the churches in Europe. Churches’ action today is significant, as exclusion and violence against Roma in Europe unfortunately is not a thing of the past.”

“Every week we learn about new acts of violence from groups spreading racial hatred, as well as systematic exclusion of Roma by public authorities. This is often accompanied by a rhetoric of hate and division by politicians, who call themselves Christians. As Christian churches we must underline: every human being is equal and created in the image of God,” he added. ....

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