Proceedings of the 14th International Academic Conference, Malta

GYPSIES AS VICTIMS OF CRIMES OF CRIME

MEHLIKA OZLEM ULTAN, SERDAR ORNEK

Abstract:

Many groups such as Jews, Gypsies, Slavs or the homosexuals were labelled as ‘undesirables’ during the Nazi era. Jews Especially were presented as the enemy of the Aryan ‘master race’ according to the Nazi ideology. Even though gypsies continue to face public prejudices and discrimination today, this study will be focused on the situation and the rights of Gypsies before and after the World War II. Gypsies had full and equal rights of citizenship under the Weimar Constitution, but they were still subject to some discriminational laws. When Hitler took power in 1933, anti-Gypsy laws remained in effect. In 1939, 30.000-35.000 people known as ‘Gypsies’ were living in Germany and Austria. In Europe, the situation of Gypsies differed from country to country, depending on local circumstances. For example, in German-occupied Europe, Gypsies were killed, or deported to camps in Germany or eastern Europe. In Croatia, Serbia, Romania and also Hungary, thousands of Gypsies were killed during the 1940s. According to the United Nations Genocide Convention, “Genocide is a coordinated plan to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, inflicting conditions designed to bring about its destruction, preventing births within the group, or removing children from the group.” Many genocides have occurred throughout history, but the word Genocide began to be used from the 1940s. ‘Genocide’ became a part of international law, with the 1948 United Nations Convention on Genocide. This study will try to examine the Gypsies, especially the Roma (Porajmos), as victims of genocide, how they were treated during the World War II and were their rights were before and after the Nazi’s these are main questions that will be answered.

Keywords: Genocide, Gypsies, World War II, Porajmos, United Nations Genocide Convention

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