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Roma and Sinti Commemoration

22.11.2016

On Saturday 19 November 2016 Martina Maschke, Chair of the IHRA Committee on the Genocide of the Roma, and Gerhard Baumgartner, director of the Documentation Center of the Austrian resistance and member of the IHRA Committee attended the annual commemoration event in memory of the Austrian Roma and Sinti victims murdered during the NS-regime on the site of the former “gypsy camp” Lackenbach in the Federal State of Burgenland.

The event was organized by the provincial parliament of Burgenland and the Austrian Roma Culture Association. The presence of the members of the IHRA Committee as representatives of the IHRA was formally acknowledged by the Mayor of Lackenbach.

On 1 November 1941 the number of people interned in the former “gypsy camp” reached a peak of 2,335. Of the total of 4,000 Roma and Sinti interned in Lackenbach, 2000 were deported to the Lodz Ghetto and murdered in Chelmno extermination camp. Only 400 prisoners survived the liberation by Soviet troops in April 1945.

Among the guests and/or speakers were former Federal Chancellor, Dr. Franz Vranitzky, State Secretary for Diversity, Muna Duzdar, the President of Burgenland, Hans Nissel, and the President of the Austrian Roma Culture Association, Christian Klippl as well as the President of the Parliament of Burgenland, Dr. Christian Illedits.

After the event Martina Maschke discussed possible cooperation in the context of IHRA with Christian Klippl.

Within the framework of the midterm work plan of the Committee on the Genocide of the Roma, the Austrian Contact point for the EU-Roma strategy will organize a dialogue platform between the Austrian members of the IHRA Committee and Roma organizations in spring 2017: the IHRA and its work will be presented and the meeting will also aim to find out what Austrian Roma organizations expect from the IHRA.

Image: the President of the Austrian Roma Culture Association, Christian Klippl, former Federal Chancellor, Dr. Franz Vranitzky, the Governor of Burgenland, Hans Nissel, State Secretary for Diversity, Muna Duzdar, the President of the Parliament of Burgenland, Dr. Christian Illedits, Chair of the Austrian Roma Culture Association, Andreas Sarközi, prominent activist on Roma issues, Emmerich Gärtner-Horvath, Deputy Head of Germany's Mission to Austria, Michaela Spaeth.