Czech Police seek witnesses to attack on the Holocaust memorial to 11 Romani children born in Liberec concentration camp
The Czech Police are asking for help from the public with finding the person who vandalized a memorial to Romani victims of the Holocaust in Liberec at some point before 5 April 2025. A sharp object was used to strike the names on the memorial at least seven times.
Whoever did this has committed the offense of damaging property not their own. Police spokesperson Klára Jeníčková has announced that the police are asking the public for help in identifying the culprit.
The plaque with the names of the deceased children born in a local Nazi concentration camp for Roma and Sinti will have to be replaced. The damaged memorial is located on Kunratická Street in Liberec on the spot where a WWII-era concentration camp imprisoned Roma and Sinti from 1941 to 1943.
The memorial was unveiled in February 2024, the result of years of work by civil society, historians, and Romani organizations. It features a block of granite inset with a bronze plaque on which are listed the names of 11 children born in the camp in Liberec who were later murdered in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp.
According to the ongoing police investigation, the memorial was vandalized at a time that has yet to be determined prior to 5 April 2025. “The memorial was struck at least seven times with a sharp object, and the plaque with the names of the Holocaust victims and a description of that event will have to be recast due to the extent of the damage. The amount of the damage was estimated at CZK 58,080 [EUR 2,330] at least,“ Jeníčková posted to the police website.
The police have initiated criminal proceedings in connection with the case for the offense of damaging property not one’s own. They are currently looking for witnesses who might be able to provide them with information about this crime.
Those with information can call the toll-free phone number 158, or 974 467 200, or can visit any police station in Liberec in person. “Any information on this case could help us solve it,” Jeníčková said.
The attack on the memorial sparked great indignation among experts and the Romani community. The volunteer civil society members of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs called it “a perverse expression of hatred and deep-rooted racism that has no place in a democratic society”.
The Council members also warned that this is not just about the physical damage of an object, but is an attack on the dignity of the descendants of Holocaust survivors, on the Holocaust victims’ memory, and on the values of humanity and respect. Historian Ivan Rous, who was involved with the creation of the memorial, described the attack as “completely disgusting”, as it directly targeted the names of murdered Romani infants.
According to the volunteer civil society members of the Council and the descendants of Romani survivors of the Holocaust, this crime must be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrator must be punished. They called on political representatives and the public to clearly reject such displays of antigypsyism and racial hatred, which are still present in Czech society.
The police are therefore appealing to anybody who might have any knowledge of the movements of unidentified persons near the memorial on Kunratická Street to inform them without delay. “Since the time of the crime has yet to be specified and the perpetrator has yet to be identified, we are turning to the public with a request for their cooperation,” Jeníčková said.
