JOINT STATEMENT
On August 12, 2020, the Genocide of Roma and Sinti, which that took place during WWII was officially recognized by the Government of Canada following a unanimous consent motion in the House of Commons brought forward by Member of Parliament Sameer Zuberi. This official acknowledgement made possible by a successful “Act of Parliament” was the outcome of over a decade of determined work by the Canadian Roma community.
The Roma and Sinti refer to this Genocide as Porajmos or the ‘Devouring’ in their various language dialects. Approximately 500,000 Roma and Sinti – representing at least a quarter of their total population at that time – were murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe because of their ethnicity. There is an approximate population of 140,000 Canadian Roma. The majority of Roma and Sinti in Canada immigrated from Europe in the last half of the nineteenth century. Nearly each family has lost someone or had survivors, with the children and grandchildren living today with largely unrecognized inter-generational trauma.
Until recently, there has been a significant lack of public knowledge about the Roma Genocide, since it has essentially been left out of history, often referred to as the ‘forgotten Holocaust’. Not a single Roma or Sinti survivor was invited to testify at the infamous Nirenberg Trials following WWII. It wasn’t until 2012, when Canadian Jewish filmmaker, made the first cinematic documentary film about the Roma Genocide called, ‘The People Uncounted’ that people began to become aware of what happened to our communities across Nazi-occupied Europe.
This official recognition of the atrocities committed during WWII against the Roma and Sinti comes after years of commitment, public education and advocacy by Canadian Roma organizations and individuals. The late Dr. Ronald Lee, co-founder of the Toronto Roma Community Centre (RCC) and instructor of the first Romani Studies course in Canada (University of Toronto), dedicated 40 years of his life to the Romani Civil Rights Movement. His research and advocacy focused on educating Canadians about Romani history and culture, including the need for Canada to officially recognize the Genocide of Roma and Sinti. Ronald Lee’s work was carried forward by Romani organizations such as the RCC in Toronto, Romanipe in Montreal and the Canadian Romani Alliance in Vancouver. This journey has been a long and arduous one. Indeed, it was thanks to the perseverance of the RCC led, at the time by Gina Csanyi-Robah that the government invited its first Roma representative to take part in the Canadian delegation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2013.
Although Roma finally had a small voice at the table, our attempts to have the Romani Genocide formally recognized by the government of Canada was continuously rejected for nearly a decade.
In 2013 the first motion seeking recognition of the Romani genocide was presented in the House of Commons, and rejected. Our multiple requests for recognition were refused over-and-over, despite the widespread support of organizations across the country and of multiple international organizations. Finally, after nearly 10 years, the history is formally, publicly, acknowledged.
Healing requires acknowledgement of past trauma. For Rita Prigmore, who survived this tragedy, put this clearly,
“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for acknowledging our genocide that took place in the Holocaust. This recognition was long overdue. Recognition is about bringing dignity and respect to our people. Seventy-six (76) years have passed since the Holocaust and Roma and Sinti today continue to face racism, hatred and violence. I am happy to finally see our history being recognized and remembered in Canada”.
Such recognition is a result of a broad collective effort of numerous Romani people and organizations across Canada. It was a long journey. The Canadian Romani Alliance, under the leadership of Gina Csanyi-Robah, reflects on when she began advocating for inclusion in IHRA in 2012 when Canada was the Chair,
“It was such a challenge to convince the government of Canada to invite at least one Romani representative to its IHRA delegation in order to give voice to the Romani experience in the Holocaust. I am so happy to finally see this moment come to pass and to see our truth and pain finally recognized. This is a crucial step that can help bring awareness about the past, but also to understand the impact of current neo-Nazism and the endemic violence European Roma continue to endure.”
The Roma Community Centre’s president, Micheal Butch, continues to host the yearly Roma Genocide Commemoration on August 2 – the day that the Nazis liquated the “Gypsy camp” in Auschwitz killing 4300 Roma and Sinti in 1944. This commemoration, as well as the annual one held in Montreal by Romanipe, has been attended by many notable speakers across the political spectrum, including provincial and federal Ministers, MPs, and MPPs.
“This marks a turning point for survivors who rebuilt their lives in Canada,” expressed Dafina Savic, Founder of Romanipe. This momentous achievement is important not only symbolically, but also for the collective healing process of Roma and Sinti around the world, for the recognition of the existence of Romani peoples in Canada, and for human rights today.”
We thank the Government of Canada for being inclusive in acknowledging all genocides that took place in the Holocaust. However, Canada’s official recognition of the Genocide of Roma and Sinti should not stand on its own – it must be followed up by the federal government taking meaningful and tangible steps to address the human rights injustices faced by Roma and Sinti around the world, and particularly in Europe. We look forward to continuing working with the government in doing so.
For media inquiries:
Micheal Butch, Roma Community Centre: (647) 309-2713
Dafina Savic, Romanipe: info.romanipe@gmail.com,
Gina Csanyi-Robah, Canadian Romani Alliance: (604) 657-9049 / (416) 561-0770