BERLIN: Germany remembered the Holocaust’s forgotten victims yesterday by opening a memorial in the heart of Berlin to the half a million ethnic Sinti and Roma murdered by the Nazis.
As the mournful strains of a solo violin sounded through the trees, political leaders and frail survivors approached a dark pool close to the German parliament building. Its still water is intended to evoke tears for the dead but also, in reflecting the beholder, inspire new generations to protect minorities from hate.
“This memorial commemorates a group of victims who, for far too long, received far too little public recognition - the many hundreds of thousands of Sinti and Roma who were persecuted by the Nazis as so-called gypsies,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “The destiny of every single person murdered in this genocide is one of unspeakable suffering. Every single destiny, fills us, fills me, with sadness and shame.”
German politicians and Roma leaders at the opening ceremony described the memorial as a reminder of the urgent need to protect minorities today.Many of Europe’s 12 million Roma face discrimination and social exclusion, often living in dire poverty.
Merkel stressed it was a German and European duty to protect Roma rights. After her speech a heckler highlighted that Germany refuses to grant asylum to Roma from countries such as Serbia and Macedonia, where they face discrimination. AFP
