"The Nazi intended to exterminate the Roma completely as early as May 1944. On May 15, Gypsy Camp director SS Georg Bonigut ordered the inmates to stay in their barracks. The next day, 50 to 60 SS men surrounded the camp. They attempted to force the prisoners out of the barracks, but failed to do so.
The 16th of May 1944, Men, Women and Children of the Gypsy camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, warned by the internal Resistance Network of the camp, got organized in order to fight off SS guards who came the same night to lead them to the Gas Chambers. Fearing casualties, the Nazi withdrew in front of the rebellion of Roma man, woman and children.
There were significant numbers of Wehrmacht veterans among the prisoners. The Nazi also feared that a mutiny could spread to other parts of the camp. On May 23, over 1,500 Roma were transferred from Birkenau to Auschwitz, from where they were subsequently transferred to Buchenwald. Two days later, 82 Roma were shipped to the Flossenburg camp and 144 Roma women to Ravensbrueck. Fewer than 3,000 people remained in the Family Camp. The extermination of the Roma in Auschwitz-Birkenau occurred on the night of August 2/3, 1944. Despite resistance by the Roma, 2,897 men, women, and children were loaded on trucks, taken to gas chamber V, and exterminated."
On the 15-th and 16-th of May 2014, Roma from all over the world participated in raising awareness and commemorating this important day for Roma. Both off-line and on-line were made visible through the hastags such as #RomaniResistance #16may #OpreRoma #dignity etc.
RROMA participated in the online actions with its FB covers and profile pictures below:
