Ryszard Terlecki

Commemoration speech on the occasion of 2 August 2020, Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma

Nine years ago, in July 2011, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland passed a resolution to establish August 2 as a day of remembrance for the extermination of the Roma. This was an important decision of the Polish Parliament, because the Roma have been living in Poland for centuries, wandering around and living in a particularly large number in the region I come from, i.e. Małopolska.

Before the war, there were about 30,000 Roma living in Poland, followed by the years of German occupation, the extermination of the Roma community.

The communist period was also not easy for the Roma people.

I think that this is a very important day in our parliamentary tradition and every year we try to participate in the celebration of this day. This year it is impossible for reasons beyond our control because of the pandemic, but we are united in our thoughts and memories with our compatriots, with our fellow citizens who remained in Poland after so many years of suffering and hardship they had to endure.