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News server Romea.cz. Everything about Roma in one place

Daniela Abraham lights candle for Roma during the ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in London, meets the Princess of Wales

30 January 2025
5 minute read
Daniela Abraham a členové královské rodiny během vzpomínkové ceremonie ke Dni památky obětí holocaustu v Lodnýně (FOTO:
Romani community member Daniela Abraham (second from left) and members of the British royal family during the memorial ceremony for International Holocaust Remembrance Day in London, England, 27 January 2025 (PHOTO: Catherine, Princess of Wales)

Daniela Abraham, a Romani activist and Holocaust researcher, has participated once more in the official ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. The primary official ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was also attended by the Prince and the Princess of Wales, the British Prime Minister, members of the Government, representatives of civil society and religious organizations, and by eminent figures from public life.

Together with Holocaust survivors and the survivors of other genocides, those assembled honored the memory of the victims and sent the message that it is necessary to fight hatred. In 2020, Abraham spoke about Romani suffering during the Second World War at this important event.

This year she was given another honorary task, that of lighting a candle of remembrance together with the other guests. The theme of this year’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in the UK was “Learn for a better future”, encouraging people to reflect on the lessons of both the Holocaust and of other modern genocides.

“This year I represented the Roma at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day during the morning ceremony, which was held in the Great Hall of Lambeth Palace. In the afternoon I attended the main ceremony which was broadcast live on the BBC,” Abraham told news server Romea.cz.

“I was honored and I also felt proud to be able to light a candle during both ceremonies and to honor not just the memory of my family members who suffered and were murdered during the Nazi era, but also to honor the memory of all the Roma who were tortured, subjected to Josef Mengele’s medical experiments, raped and killed just because they were born Romani,” Abraham said.

“We Will Never Forget” – the Prince of Wales honors the memory of Holocaust victims

The main memorial ceremony took place in the Guildhall in London. “It is an honor for me to join you today on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and to honor the millions who were murdered during the Holocaust and subsequent genocides,” the Prince of Wales said, whose speech went on to read a description of the wartime experiences of his great-grandmother, Alice of Battenberg.

“We also think of those who survived and carried not just physical scars with them for the rest of their lives, but also mental ones. Their bravery to share those most painful movements of their lives, to relive them, is immeasurably strong and ensures we will never forget. I can assure you – we will never forget,” the Prince said.

The ceremony was attended by Holocaust survivors and by survivors of the genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda. Together with the younger people attending they created a strong symbolic connection between the past and present.

Abraham emphasized the importance of commemorating the Holocaust and its Romani victims on this occasion and mentioned that when she lit her candle she stood alongside John Hajdu, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. Born in 1937 in Budapest, he survived Nazi persecution and life in the Budapest ghetto thanks to his aunt’s bravery, who hid him from deportation.

After the war, Hajdu grew up under the communist regime in Hungary and then fled to Great Britain to build a new life in 1956 after the Hungarian Revolution was suppressed. In Britain he became an active member of society, working as a local magistrate, an advisor to the Metropolitan Police, and chair of a community association.

“There were 12 of us, and each of us stood there with the Holocaust survivors. We stood together and lit a candle. It was a common gesture of memory and solidarity,” Abraham told news server Romea.cz.

Increasing hatred and denial of history

According to Abraham, the situation has worsened since 2020. Far-right parties are gaining strength in Europe and both hatred and racism are becoming more and more normalized, including at the level of some politicians.

“The rise of ultra-right parties all over Europe represents a very serious problem. More than at any other time in the past, the normalization of neo-Nazism and racism is underway, including at the official level, when some politicians are openly exploiting racist rhetoric to attack Romani men, women and children. Because of this, racially-motivated violence and discrimination against Romani people is also rising,” Abraham, who actively educates the public, young people in particular, about the Holocaust, told news server Romea.cz.

“Recently, the underestimation of the Roma Holocaust death toll numbers has been concerning me and others also in our Roma community, what we have seen on social media. We can never underestimate the power of human hatred which caused the death of six million Jewish people and (according to the recent research) the death of an estimated 1.5-2.5 million Roma people,” Abraham told news server Romea.cz.

Meeting with members of the royal family

Just as in 2020, Abraham met with members of the royal family. This year she had the honor of speaking with the Princess of Wales, who expressed support for her efforts to combat hatred and educate people.

It was my honour this year as well to meet the Duke and the Duchess of Cornwall, as the only Romani woman in British history who has had this amazing opportunity and unforgettable experience – I am very grateful. I spoke to the Duchess and she was very kind to me. I feel empowered, because right now it’s a very difficult and challenging time to be a Romani woman,” Abraham told news server Romea.cz.

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