In . – 08/04/2022 13:43 (act 08/04/2022 18:04)
Eva Blimlinger would prefer the inner courtyard of the former general hospital in Vienna-Alsergrund for a memorial. Numerous gypsies and Sinti were murdered during the Nazi dictatorship. ©APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER (symbol image)
For Eva Blimlinger (Greens), the inner courtyard of the former AKH in Vienna-Alsergrund is the first choice for a memorial. Numerous Roma and Sinti were murdered in Austria during the Nazi dictatorship.
Demand for a memorial to Roma and Sinti who died in the Holocaust – for example in the courtyard of the former AKH – is getting louder. Representatives of ethnic groups have already deposited their wish in the National Council, reported “Padrão”. Furthermore, MEPs Lukas Mandl (ÖVP) and Andreas Schieder (SPÖ) call for August 2 to be declared a memorial day in Austria for the Roma and Sinti murdered during the Nazi era.
Vienna-Alsergrund: Will the courtyard of the former general hospital receive a memorial to Rome and Sinti?
The reason for the demands was the World Day of the Roma on 8 August. Up to 5,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered in Austria during the Nazi dictatorship. Now, at an event in Parliament, a catalog of demands was delivered by representatives of the ethnic groups. A central memorial in the federal capital is important to those involved. Green Eva Blimlinger favors the inner courtyard of the former AKH (Vienna-Alsergrund). Also under discussion are Human Rights Square, Ceija-Stojka-Platz in the new Vienna building and Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Platz (Vienna city centre).
The SPÖ and the ÖVP have also teamed up – at least on a European level – for a similar demand. MEPs Schieder and Mandl “recommend” in a joint broadcast that “also in Austria, 2 August should be declared a day of remembrance for Roma and Sinti murdered under National Socialism, as has already been done at European level and in many countries”. Background: About 3,000 Roma and Sinti were killed on August 2, 1944 in the Auschwitz death camp.
World Roma Day: Zadic referred to training events
Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) referred to a two-day training event for court officials on the occasion of World Roma Day. The focus is on the plight of the ethnic group in Austria and the critical reassessment of anti-Zyganism as a “social phenomenon” that has led to the exclusion and discrimination of Roma.