Lucie Fuková at Hodonín u Kunštátu: We must never forget the genocide of the Roma and we must combat hatred
At the Hodonín u Kunštátu Memorial on Friday, 18 August, a commemorative ceremony was held to honor the Holocaust and its Romani victims. Czech Government Commissioner for Romani Minority Affairs Lucie Fuková attended and, in her speech, reminded those gathered that it was the 80th anniversary of the mass transport of Romani children, men and women from what was called in those days the "Gypsy Camp" to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Extermination Camp.
Fuková called for important days in the history of the Roma to become part of instruction in the primary and secondary schools. “I see it as important that days like these in the history of the Roma, days which are significant, are included in the subject of history in mainstream teaching in the primary and secondary schools. I call on the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to honor its commitment to include this Romani subject matter in the framework curricula in accordance with the Strategy for Romani Equality, Inclusion and Participation and on the basis of the adopted resolution of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs dated 11 April 2023,” she said in her speech, which news server Romea.cz is translating here in full.
Lucie Fuková’s speech at the commemorative ceremony in Hodonín u Kunštátu, Czech Republic, 18 August 2023
Dear Guests,
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the mass transport of Romani men, women and children from the “Gypsy Camp” in Hodonín u Kunštátu to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Extermination Camp.
Commemorating important days in Romani history is important to all of us – representatives of Holocaust survivors, politicians, officials, Romani people, the majority society and others.
I see it as important that days like these in the history of the Roma, days which are significant, are included in the subject of history in mainstream teaching in the primary and secondary schools. I call on the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to honor its commitment to include this Romani subject matter in the framework curricula in accordance with the Strategy for Romani Equality, Inclusion and Participation and on the basis of the adopted resolution of the Czech Government Council for Roma Minority Affairs dated 11 April 2023.
The genocide of the Roma can be seen as a forgotten part of Romani history even within Romani families – the fate of their relatives during World War II was never discussed in many Romani families. Their sad, inhumane fates were meant to be forgotten. This fear of the past, this failure to cope with it, silenced these memories in many Romani families in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia.
This place is a personal matter to me – it is probable that the family of my grandfather, Eliáš Polák, was imprisoned here and then transported to Auschwitz. He never talked about those family members, and to this day I do not know the fates of the members of our family who lived in Moravia during the Second World War. My grandfather lived through the Second World War in the Slovak State. That is the only reason he survived, and if he had not, I would not be standing here today. However, our family members who lived in Moravia seem to have vanished. I have no information about their fates to this day. Thinking about them makes it extremely difficult for me to stand here now.
Let’s not forget what preceded the Final Solution. Anti-Romani measures, antisemitic laws, and the exclusion of various minorities must never again be part of political culture and decisions. Today we must never give any space to such views, they could appeal to the masses in such a way as to spread hatred against any minority.
Democracy is fragile and we must take care of it together. In times of crisis, we realize how important its principles are to us. Respect for basic human rights can save us from a return to totalitarianism.
