Today, on the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the ‘Gypsy Camp’ at Auschwitz, we remember the 4,300 Roma and Sinti who were murdered by the SS at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and we commemorate the 500,000 Roma and Sinto murdered in Nazi-occupied Europe. With it, we also remember the unbreakable resistance spirit of the Roma people in Auschwitz and the inhumane tragedy of their stolen lives.
The Roma experience parallels the Jewish people as survivors of intolerance, marginalization and persecution. This is why today, we stand in solidarity with our Roma friends. It is vital to understand the importance of remembering the atrocities of the past and assuming the responsibility to prevent them from happening in the future.
René Cassin continues to stand in solidarity with Roma and Traveller communities and groups to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of hateful rhetoric against minorities. Intolerance and hostility towards any community are unacceptable and stand in stark contrast to our values. All human beings are to be treated equally, respectfully and justly.
Today, 10th December, is International Human Rights Day – the 76th anniversary of the signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
The Declaration was a reaction to the horrors of the Holocaust. So, for Jews, today has a particuar significance.
Although rooted in response to atrocity, the Declaration was forward-looking and optimistic. It spoke for the majority of people who knew a better world was possible. The fact that it’s co-author , the French-Jewish lawyer Monsieur Rene Cassin, could draft such a hopeful document so soon after 26 members of his family were murdered by the Nazis is a testament to his humanity and the power of human rights in general.
Today, as the organisation that works in Cassin’s name, we are determined to ensure his Declaration’s vision of human rights for all is fully realised. Central to that work is a focus on so called ‘socio-economic rights’ – rights to everyday essentials like food, housing and health. This vision was best articulated in Article 25 of the Declaration:
‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control’.
Bolstering these rights would ensure everybody has access to the foundations on which to build a dignified, prosperous and meaningful life. They have been neglected for too long.
We are constantly developing our campaigns, planning events, and cultivating discussions on Human Rights issues, sign up for our email updates and we’ll keep you informed on all we are working on and how YOU can get involved.
