Press release: EGAM welcomes a historical victory for the dignity of Roma people in Lety
Agreement on the sale to the State of the pig farm located on the site of the concentration camp for Roma people in Lety (Czech Republic): the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement welcomes a historical victory for the dignity of Roma people.
Paris, Monday 7th August 2017,
For years, EGAM has been leading, along with its Czech member Konexe, the international campaign “Dignity for Lety !”, in order to obtain the removal of the pig farm, the building up of a proper memorial, and support to historical research.
Thanks to this leadership, Lety has come from an unknown history to a European focal point of mobilization for the civil society and for political leaders.
For Benjamin Abtan, the president of EGAM : “Today marks a historical day for the dignity of Roma people, and a historical victory for the European civil society. Together, activists and political leaders, Roma and non-Roma, Czech and other Europeans, we have turned Lety from a symbol of shame to that of victory and dignity.
A lot more needs to be done to have the dignity of the victims of the Roma genocide and their descendants respected. All over the continent, the cases where history is too little known or respected should be urgently addressed, with an involvement of civil society.
This could be done for example through the creation of a European Foundation for the Memory of the Roma genocide.”
Contact :
Benjamin Abtan
President of the European Grassroots Antiracist Movement – EGAM
@ : benjamin.abtan@gmail.com
EGAM gathers the main antiracist & human rights organizations from more than 30 countries throughout Europe : http://www.egam.eu/presentation/
