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 Recognition of the Roma Genocide

 Recognition, official texts

Switzerland observes the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust on 27 January. The day commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, other victims of National Socialism and victims of other genocides. The date is also devoted to the promotion of human rights and tolerance.

In Switzerland, the Roma and Sinti genocide is officially commemorated on 27 January.

 Data (camps locations, Remembrance places, measures etc.)

Since 1936, the Swiss police collaborated in the hunt for “Gypsies”. It was forbidden for Roma and Sinti to enter the country. Roma families were arrested when crossing the border, separated and the men were sent to Witzwil, a former farm transformed in prison. Yenisch who were Swiss citizens underwent a stiffening control and discrimination by the Swiss authorities and ended up imprisoned in administrative camps. 600 Yenisch children were taken from their family and placed in state care, through the operation “Enfants de la Grand Route”. The forced transfer of children from on ethnic/national group to another can be considered itself as genocide. Several cases of forced sterilizations were also reported on Yenisch people, on the ground of mental disability, also as part of the operation “Enfants de la Grand Route”, which was dissolved only in 1973.

According to Thomas Huonker, it is impossible to say how many individuals of Roma origin have been refused at the border. In the canton of Geneva, which is the only one to have archives, 13 refusals have been reported, including famous musician Django Reinhardt.

The Eugenist movement which alleged that the Roma population would contaminate the genetics of the European population was first developed by Swiss psychiatrists, such as Dr Josef Jörger.

 Specialised institution, commission, research centre etc., dealing with this issue

The Rroma Foundation
Rromani Fundacija
Gladbachstrasse 67
CH-8044 Zürich
Switzerland
+41 44 383 63 26
admin@rroma.org

 Official initiatives (campaigns, actions, projects, commemoration days, museums)

In 2001, during the "case of Swiss banks", a 1.25 billion dollars plan for compensation was set up. 13 000 Roma/Sinti benefitted from it (compensations are small).

Switzerland has a Federal commission against Racism which deals with Roma/Sinti/Yenisch issues. In its campaign against Anti-Gypsyism, it has taken into account their particular historical fate in Switzerland.

 Remembrance day

In 2003, the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) decided to designate 27 January as “Holocaust Memorial Day” in Swiss schools.

 Teaching about the Roma Genocide

 Inclusion of the topic in the school curriculum

The Holocaust is a mandatory topic in Swiss schools. It forms part of history and civic education classes, while aspects of the Holocaust are also addressed in social science, religious studies and literature classes. At the primary and secondary school levels, the Holocaust is taught within the context of World War II and focuses on civic education. At higher levels of education, in Gymnasiums, the Holocaust is taught in the context of violence and genocide prevention, with the aim of developing students’ understanding of the causes of violence, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

There is no further information on the inclusion of the Roma Genocide in Swiss school curriculum.

 Inclusion of the topic in the school textbooks

There is no information on the inclusion of the Roma Genocide in textbooks.

 Training of teachers and education professionals

There is no information on the training of teachers regarding the Roma Genocide.

 Particular activities undertaken at the level of education institutions

No particular educational activity related to this topic has been reported in Switzerland.

Testimonies

Clemente Graff et Uschi Waser are victims of the operation "Enfants de la route" and were taken away from their families.

Wottreng, W., "Clemente Graff: vannier, ouvrier et personne de confiance", dans: Les gens du voyage suisses – autrefois et de nos jours, 13 September 2011.

Wottreng, W., "Uschi Waser: la colère, force de vérité", dans: Les gens du voyage suisses – autrefois et de nos jours. 13 September 2011.

 

 Initiatives of the civil society

In February 1997, the Romani Union demanded same compensation as Jews from the Swiss Funds for Holocaust victims. It requested the Swiss government to grant financial support to Roma around the world, especially in Eastern Europe.

In 2002, GIRCA (Gypsy International recognition and Compensation Action) sued IBM, the US business firm for its complicity in the Holocaust. In 2006, the Swiss Supreme Court judges dismissed the lawsuit because too much time had elapsed. An earlier Swiss court said the charges against IBM were likely to be sustained.

“Fondation assurer l’avenir des gens du voyage suisses” - website “les gens du voyage suisses - autrefois et de nos jours” gives information on the Roma Genocide.

 Resources

 Educational material

 

Information material

 

 Scientific publications

D'Arcangelis, Rocco Andrew Merlino: Die Verfolgung der sozio-linguistischen Gruppe, der Jenischen (auch als deutsche Landfahrer bekannt) im NS-Staat 1934 bis 1944. Dissertation Uni Hamburg 2004.

Dazzi, Guadench, Sara Galle, Sara, Kaufmann Andréa und Meier Thomas: Puur und Kessler. Sesshafte und Fahrende in Graubünden, Hrsg. Institut für Kulturforschung Graubünden ikg, Baden 2008.

Egger, Franz: Der Bundesstaat und die Zigeuner in der Zeit von 1848 bis 1914, in: Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv (Hg.): Studien und Quellen 8, Bern 1982, S. 49–71.

Filhol, Emmanuel: Le contrôle de la mobilité tsigane au début du XXe siècle (France, Allemagne, Suisse), in: Revue suisse d’histoire 59, 2009/2, p. 191–203.

Galle, Sara und Meier, Thomas: Von Menschen und Akten. Die Aktion « Kinder der Landstrasse » der Stiftung Pro Juventute. Mit DVD-ROM, Zürich 2009.

Huonker Thomas: Fahrendes Volk – verfolgt und verfemt. Jenische Lebensläufe. Herausgegeben von der Radgenossenschaft der Landstrasse, Zürich 1987.

Huonker, Thomas und Ludi, Regula: Roma: Sinti und Jenische. Schweizerische Zigeunerpolitik zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus, unter Mitarbeit von Bernhard Schär, Publications de la Commission indépendante d’experts Suisse- Seconde Guerre mondiale (CIE, vol 23), Zürich Chronos 2001.

Huonker, Thomas et Ludi, Regula, Roms, Sinti et Yéniches. La «politique tsigane » suisse à l’époque du national-socialisme, Ed. Pages deux, Cahiers libres, Lausanne 2009 (version française de l’étude de la CIE).

Leimgruber, Walter, Meier, Thomas et Sablonier, Roger: L’Œuvre des enfants de la grand-route. Etude historique réalisée à partir des archives de la Fondation Pro Juventute déposées aux Archives fédérales suisses (Archives fédérales Dossier 10), Berne 2000.

Lucassen, Leo, Willems, Wim und Cottaar Annemarie: Gypsies and Other Itinerant Groups. A Socio-Historical Approach, London 1998.

Meier, Thomas: « Zigeunerpolitik und Zigeunerdiskurs in der Schweiz 1850–1970 ». In: Zimmermann, Michael (Hg.): Zwischen Erziehung und Vernichtung. Zigeunerforschung und Zigeunerpolitik im Europa des 20. Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart 2007, S. 226–239.

Pescosta, Toni: Die Tiroler Karrner, Vom Verschwinden des fahrenden Volkes der Jenischen. Wagner, Innsbruck 2003.

PNR 51 Bulletin n° 6/2007: Les Yéniches, les Sinti et les Roms en Suisse: résultats de projets de recherche du PNR 51.

NFP 51 Bulletin Nr. 6/2007: Jenische, Sinti und Roma in der Schweiz: Resultate aus den Forschungsprojekten des NFP 51.