New Delhi: The UK Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance ( IHRA ) joined the Roma community in Newcastle for a memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the ‘genocide of the Roma’, a UK government press release stated.
The event, hosted by former Newcastle Councillor, Mr Nicu Ion, was held at the Roma Genocide Remembrance Day in Newcastle Civic Centre Memorial Garden. The event was attended by representatives from the Roma civic society, local councillors, the Sheriff and Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor Henry Gallagher, Roma community leaders, poets, singers, and activists from Newcastle and further afield, the release added.
A permanent memorial to the victims of the genocide of the Roma during the Nazi era is due to be built at the site next year. “Today we stand at the spot of what is to be the first memorial to be built in the UK. There are very few in Europe. This will be a place to recollect, to share the story of suffering of our tragic history – which will hopefully be unveiled in January 2025,” Ion added.