2 August 2020
Irvin Mujcic
Survivor of the Srebrencia Genocide, founder of “Srebrenica – City of Hope”
Statement on the occasion of the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma 2020
For many years I was involved with ternYpe in the organization of the youth remembrance event “Dik he na Bister” and of the “Rromani Resistance Day” as well. Today we remember the Roma and Sinti victims during WWII and the liquidation of the “Zigeunerlager” in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Remembrance is often empty if not followed by actions. We said many times “remember” and “never again” after WWII, but the same brutalities happened again in different parts of the world like Rwanda, Srebrenica and many others. I was personally touched by the Srebrenica Genocide in July 1995 when I lost many of my relatives including my father and I spent my whole childhood in war time.
We live in a Europe faced with economic crises, and exactly like before WWII, there is a rise of nationalism and hate speech against minorities and vulnerable groups.
We live in a world faced with the “migrant crisis” and a human crisis of values, as we forgot what means to act in solidarity.
We live in a world faced with “climate change” where our lifestyle and the human race are killing entire ecosystems.
There is an individual level in all of this, in which each of us is guilty and each of us is a change-maker.
We study the history but we often forget, that in each moment of our life we are writing the history. If we really want to pay tribute to the victims of WWII we have to keep in mind that this is our time, this is our planet and we have the power in our hands to build a better world for our children.
Statements
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Pressebilder_Romani_Rose-2-scaled-e1627499663896.jpg)
Romani Rose
Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/20191114_Barley_Katarina-0265-scaled-1-e1627632975282.jpg)
Katarina Barley
Vice President of the European Parliament
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P041101-739837.jpg)
Helena Dalli
European Commissioner for Equality
![Mehmet Daimagüler, Antiziganismusbeauftragter der Bundesregierung](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220309-beauftragter-antiginaismus.jpg)
Mehmet Daimagüler
Dr. Mehmet Daimagüler, Antigypsyism Commissioner of the Federal Government
![Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Official-Portrait_Metsola-scaled.jpg)
Roberta Metsola
Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021_06_CLAUDIA_ROTH_06_154_ECIRGB-scaled.jpg)
Claudia Roth
Vice President of the German Bundestag
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/blokhuis-31082018-ao-2431-scaled.jpg)
Paul Blokhuis
Dutch State Secretary Paul Blokhuis
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AMB.-CHRIS-J.-LAZARIS-IHRA-CHAIR.jpg)
Chris J. Lazaris
Amb. Chris J. Lazaris, IHRA Chairman
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FdeVarennes.jpg)
Fernand des Varennes
UN Special Rapporteur UN minorities
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Foto-Anna-Nicole-Heinrich-Fotos-Peter-Bongard-scaled.jpg)
Anna-Nicole Heinrich
President of the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD)
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Trudeau.jpg)
Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/romowie_kwiatkowski2.jpg)
Roman Kwiatkowski
Chairman of the Association of Roma in Poland
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SEB3386-scaled.jpg)
Erich Schneeberger
Deputy Chairman of the Documentation and Cultural Center of German Sinti and Roma and Chairman of the Association of German Sinti and Roma
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/junghaus-768x513-1.jpg)
Timea Junghaus
Executive Director
European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC)
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bild-Adam-Strauss-fuer-Zentralrat.jpg)
Adam Strauß
Chairman of the Council of German Sinti and Roma in Hesse
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Aubry-Manon-FB.jpg)
Manon Aubry
Manon Aubry, MEP
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/futura-e1627848513848.jpg)
Adrian-Nicolae Furtuna
Historian at the University of Bucharest
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DSC_0229-scaled.jpg)
Philomena Franz
Holocaust Survivor
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bild.jpg)
Angelina Kappler
German former Weinkönigin
![](https://www.roma-sinti-holocaust-memorial-day.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Marian-Kalwary-Foto-Christoph-Loeffler.jpg)
Marian Kalwary
Chairman of the Association of Jews,
Survivors and Victims of the Second World War