We have a duty to fight against human rights violations, anti-Gypsyism as a specific form of racism against Roma, hate speech and discrimination in a modern democratic society, said President Stevo Pendarovski on the occasion of May 16, Roma Resistance Day.
Pendarovski states on Facebook that the Day of the Roma Resistance marks the persistence of the Roma people, their struggle for the right to life and the struggle for survival during the Second World War.
“On May 16, 1944, Roma prisoners, men and women, armed with hammers, shovels and other wooden objects, resisted the Nazis at the Auschwitz death camp. Roma Resistance Day marks the persistence of the Roma people, their struggle for the right to life and their struggle for survival during World War II, reminding us of a terrible period in history. 76 years later, we are obliged to fight against human rights violations, anti-Gypsyism as a specific form of racism against Roma, hate speech and discrimination in a modern democratic society,” Pendarovski said.