Persecution of Sinti and Roma: Bundestag adopts motion on antiziganism
Among other things, the motion calls on the federal government to set up a permanent federal-state commission on antiziganism, as many of the measures to overcome antiziganism are the responsibility of the federal states. In addition, the participation of Sinti and Roma must be specifically promoted and social awareness of German history must be raised. "It must be clear that antiziganism has no place in Germany," the motion continues. "The National Socialist crimes against Sinti and Roma were denied for many years after the end of the Second World War."
Filiz Polat, Parliamentary Secretary of the Green parliamentary group, said that for the first time, the Bundestag had passed an inter-party motion that dealt self-critically with the German history of persecution of the Sinti and Roma. "During the National Socialist era, up to 500,000 Sinti and Roma were disenfranchised and murdered," said Polat. "And even afterwards, as part of the 'second persecution', members of the minority were systematically denied civil and human rights."
Mehmet Daimagüler, the Antiziganism Commissioner appointed by the German government in 2022, said in the Bundestag that those murdered in the genocide and survivors were "further criminalized" in Germany after the Second World War. "The disparagement of people, the soundtrack that led to Auschwitz, it has never completely stopped," said Daimagüler. This is why wreath-laying ceremonies on remembrance days have "something dishonest" about them. "We honor the dead and dishonor the living the next day," said Daimagüler.
The motion is based on a report by the Independent Commission on Antiziganism, which was discussed in the Bundestag. One of the Commission's central demands is the comprehensive recognition of the Nazi genocide against Sinti and Roma. According to the report, survivors of the genocide who do not live in Germany should be compensated with a special fund by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The authors write that Sinti and Roma "have been and continue to be subjected to grave injustice by state authorities and other social institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany".
The Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, Reem Alabali-Radovan, stated at the beginning of this year in her report "Racism in Germany" that Sinti and Roma are the most rejected minority in Germany. "In representative surveys, almost 29 percent of the population stated that they had antipathy towards this group," the report states. This finding is "more than alarming" in view of the genocide of the Sinti and Roma.
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Source: www.stern.de
