Budrys at a commemorative event: The Roma genocide persists through our memory and conscience
On 3 August, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kęstutis Budrys, attended an event marking the Roma Genocide Remembrance Day at the Paneriai Memorial.
According to the Minister, although the Roma genocide is often referred to as the “forgotten genocide,” we can see that the memory is returning—this crime and the Roma community that suffered it have not been forgotten, neither in Lithuania nor in Europe.
“I very much hope that today we will take away not only the obvious realization that the Roma genocide lives on in our memory, but also that it lives on in our conscience,” said Budrys at the commemoration event.
The Minister emphasized that remembering and commemorating the Roma genocide is not only a sign of respect for the victims but also a restoration of historical justice; only by remembering can we ensure that such crimes are never repeated.
During the Nazi occupation, approximately 500 Roma—roughly one in three of Lithuania’s Roma population—were murdered.
The Roma Genocide Remembrance Day is observed in Lithuania on 2 August. On this day in 1944, the Roma camp at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liquidated. In Lithuania, this day was added to the list of commemorative days in 2019.
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