History, Memory and Justice for Roma people in Europe
May 23, 2023
25 April 2023: The Conference History, Memory and Justice for Roma people in Europe was the EU
Roma Week Flagship Event hosted by the European Parliament.
Demonstration outside the Federal Criminal Investigation Department in Wiesbaden, Germany, in January 1983 against the special registration of Sinti and Roma by the police. In the foreground Holocaust survivor Ranko Brantner, and civil rights activists Anton Franz and Romani Rose. Copyright: Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.
Paving the way for Truth and Reconciliation Process to address antigypsyism in Europe: Remembrance, Recognition, Justice and Trust-Building
The CHACHIPEN project will combine participatory research, strengthening advocacy capacity among Roma activists & communities, & targeted awareness-raising activities among policymakers, the media, & public institutions.
Activities & News
IHRA – International Conference on the Genocide of the Roma and Combating Antigypsyism
March 24, 2023
Members of the CHACHIPEN project attended the ‘International Conference on the Genocide of the Roma and Combating Antigypsyism’, hosted by the Swedish Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Stockholm, 20-21 October 2022. Read more about the conference below and in the Summary Report (pdf).
Transitional Justice – Paving the Way for Truth and Reconciliation Processes in Romania
February 28, 2023
3 March 2023: Hybrid Roundtable in Bucharest on paving the way for truth and reconciliation processes in Romania, linked to the Romanian CHACHIPEN country report.
Antigypsyism during the Franco Dictatorship in Spain: Truth, Memory, and Justice
December 3, 2022
16 December 2022: Launch of the national report on Spain, ‘The persecution of Roma during Franco’s dictatorship”, Hyrid event on Truth, Memory and Justice
Hybrid event in Sweden: Roma rights and the fight against antigypsyism
November 18, 2022
9 December 2022: Launch of the national report on Sweden, ‘Considering the Swedish Commission Against Antigypsyism 2014-2016: Experiences, lessons learned and recommendations
The European Parliament calls for the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Processes
April 15, 2015 marked a historical moment. The European Parliament voted with an overwhelming majority to finally adopt a resolution which recognises the historical fact of the genocide of Sinti and Roma that took place during World War II. The resolution established 2 August as the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day.
On October 25, 2017 the European Parliament strengthened the fight against antigypsyism and called for the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Processes.
Testimonies of Antigypsyism
International Kick-Off Conference of CHACHIPEN: 50th International Roma Day (8 April 2021): Towards justice and building trust
The Webinar features the international Kick-Off Conference of the Chachipen project on 29 March 2021.
CHACHIPEN’s key objectives are to advance the recognition and response to historically-rooted and systemic antigypsyism, to achieve justice, equality, non-discrimination and the full participation of Roma as equal citizens across Europe.
Publications & Research
Transitional Justice tools to address historically rooted antigypsyism in Europe
March 27, 2023
How can transitional justice tools address historically rooted antigypsyism? What can we learn from transitional justice experiences with truth and reconciliation commissions around the globe? What could be applied and to which chapters of the dark history of antigypsyism? These and other topical questions have been addressed during the Strategic Visioning Exercise convened by CEPS.
Antigypsyism in Romania: Lessons (not) learned
March 2, 2023
This paper by Iulius Rostas and Ciprian Nodis represents an analysis of antigypsyism in Romania. It is part of the
CHACHIPEN project, advancing the recognition of, and response to, antigypsyism to
achieve justice, equality, non-discrimination, and the full participation of Roma as
equal citizens across Europe.
German Independent Commission on Antigypsyism 2019 – 2021
January 13, 2023
Experiences, lessons learned and recommendations regarding the Independent Commission on Antigypsyism in Germany [Unabhängige Kommission Antiziganismus]. Chachipen has produced four country reports that provide the evidence and baseline for the calls for a larger debate on transitional justice.
Webinar: Roma and Memorialization: Advancing Recognition and Remedy for the Dark Chapters of the Past and their Impact on the Present
August 29, 2022
This international stocktaking roundtable invites us to examine the current state of recognition of the dark chapters of history related to antigypsyism. The event will explore how the legacies of this historically-rooted structural form of racism against Roma are impeding the right to know and the right to truth and justice.
Considering the Swedish Commission against Antiziganism 2014-2016
August 14, 2022
Experiences, lessons learned and recommendations considering the Swedish Commission against Antiziganism 2014-2016. Chachipen has produced four country reports that provide the evidence and baseline for the calls for a larger debate on transitional justice.
Virtual Commemoration of the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma, 2 August 2020
On 2 August, we commemorate the last 4,300 Sinti and Roma in the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, who were murdered by the SS on that night in 1944 despite their fierce resistance. In memory of all 500,000 Sinti and Roma murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe, the European Parliament declared this date the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma in 2015. Visit the new website and the virtual commemoration of 2 August 2020 and 2021.
