The time is upon us, yet again, of the anniversary of the most horrid part in our People’s history; the destruction of the “Gypsy Camp” at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Where in the night of August 1 – August 2, 1944 – 62 years ago on that day – thousands of Gypsy men, women and children were brutally murdered in the name of Nazi racial purity.
Let us remember our People’s Martyrs of that time, as well as of times that were before and after, by wearing a brown ribbon in their honor and let us keep alive their memory for ever and ever.
To this end, while the German authorities and Gypsy groups still wrangle about the physical memorial to our Martyrs the World Gypsy Union has set up a virtual memorial; one to which anyone can come to remember our dead of the Holocaust and pogroms.
MA BISTER!
Ma Bister is also the name of the Memorial website and maybe we can all come to that place in our own way and lay some flowers, even though they may be flowers in the mind only, to remember those that were murdered simple because they were Gypsy, Romani, Zigeuner.
At the rising of the sun and at the going down of the same – we will remember them!
Ushti opre Romane! In they memory for a better future of our People.
© M V Smith, July 28, 2006
