--- On Fri, 1/16/09, Morgan Ahern <punkaheron@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Morgan Ahern <punkaheron@yahoo.com> |
UNITED NATIONS REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE ROMANI VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST AT ANNUAL CEREMONY
On 27 January 2009 the United Nations' will hold its annual observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall in New York. No Romani representation was sought. Requests asking why and for inclusion from several Romani agencies, including the Union Romani and the IRU to both Ms. Mona Gillet (gillet@un.org) of the Department of Public Information and to Ms. Kimberly Mann (kmann@un.org), manager of the United Nations Holocaust Outreach Programme, have remained unanswered. The one answer that was received consisted of a reminder that the UN had underwritten an exhibit on Roma at the Hungarian Mission, and had hosted the reception of a Romani delegation earlier in the year.
The Holocaust was the implementation of the Final Solution, Hitler's genocidal programme intended to eradicate the genetic contaminants in his plan to create a master race. Only Jews and Romanies were subject to the Final Solution; both peoples lost the same percentage of their total number. Nothing was done to acknowledge the Romani survivors after 1945. The United Nations' decision to exclude Romanies from Holocaust remembrance only perpetuates the marginalization of our people in the historical record.
Ian Hancock
xulaj@mail.utexas.edu
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