A commemorative plaque dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust against the Roma during the Second World War was unveiled on the territory of the Visterniceni Station in the city of Chisinau. The unveiling ceremony also included the laying of flowers in memory of the victims, in the context of the European Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Roma Holocaust, reports IPN.

The initiators of the project specified that the commemorative plaque is made in five languages – Romanian, Romani, Russian, English, and German – and represents a first step towards the arrangement of a memorial complex dedicated to the victims of the Roma Holocaust. They mentioned that, before the inauguration, symbolic elements placed near the plaque were vandalized and expressed their hope that the commemorative plaque will be respected and preserved.

According to the data presented at the event, between September 12 and 16, 1942, from Visterniceni Station, thousands of Roma, mostly women and children, were loaded into freight wagons and deported to camps in the Transnistrian region. During the period 1942-1944, approximately 25 thousand Roma were deported, and about 11 thousand died due to hunger, cold, diseases, and lack of medical assistance.

On the same day, the round table “The Memory of the Roma Holocaust – lessons for the present and future” took place, during which actions to promote the memory of the Roma Holocaust and combat discrimination were presented. Participants highlighted the role of education in preventing hate speech and intolerance.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research, Valentina Olaru, stated that the new action plan for the years 2027-2030 will include measures to combat racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Roma discrimination, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance. According to her, the explicit inclusion of the term “anti-Roma discrimination” reaffirms the state’s commitment to prevent discrimination and promote education based on respect for human rights.