User:Paigeb0426/Holocaust of Gypsies

History
Although there are very little records available, through anthropological research of linguistics and genetics, Gypsies, also known as Roma, are believed to have originated in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent [12] [3]. The first real knowledge of Gypsies began in England in approximately 1547 [3]. The official language of the Roma is Romani, with varying dialects [9]. Gypsies were people who were slightly taller than average European people. Their torsos were shorter in relevance to their legs, they had long and narrow skulls, jet-black hair, small ears, wide eyes with distinguished irises, and long, narrow, noses [3]. Many Gypsies are considered nomads and a majority of the women who are gyspies are illiterate [4].

Shortly before 1,000 AD, the Gypsies began to migrate via the Iranian plateau to North Africa and Europe [12]. When the Gypsies began living in Europe, they were enslaved for around 5 centuries. In 1864, the abolition for the Gypsies was put in act [12]. If Gypsies were not slaves, they were still subject to expulsion from their town or even abduction of their children [12]. When the Gypsies arrived in Europe, they told people they were pilgrims who told fortunes to make money [4].

Before the Holocaust
The Nazis viewed the Gypsies as racially inferior, just as they viewed Jewish people [10]. They were also viewed as outcasts because of their language, appearance, and customs, varying largely from that of their European surroundings. Article 109 of the Weimar Constitution gave the Gypsies full rights, but they could still be subjected to discriminatory laws [11]. Hitler took power in 1933 and

Laws against the Gypsies
The Bavarian law, Combating Gypsies, Vagabonds, and the Work Shy, published July 16, 1926, was created to form a systematic registration of all the Gypsies. It put many restrictions on the Roma, and became the national norm in 1929. It prevented Gypsies from roaming or camping in bands and threatened Gypsies without regular work to being taken to forced labor [11].

In November 1933, Laws against Dangerous Habitual Criminals was put in action. Nazis arrested Gypsies and other people that were viewed as asocial and sent them to concentration camps [11].

The Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor and the Reich Citizenship Law in 1935 were published and although Gypsies were not specifically mentioned, they were stripped of their civil rights [11].

In June 1936, the Central Office to combat Gypsy Nuisance was opened in Munich. The office opened a national data bank on all Gypsies that they could find. In July, the Berlin police teamed up with the Central Office and conducted raids against Gypsies to try and protect the image of Berlin because they were hosting the Olympic Games. 600 Gypsies were arrested in July and sent to a Gypsy internment camp, Zigeunerlager [11].

The Holocaust at Auschwitz
The first Gypsies arrived in Auschwitz on February 26, 1943. By the end of 1943, there was approximately 18,738 Gypsies, and by the end, about 23,000 Gypsies had been taken to Auschwitz. When the Gypsies arrived at the concentration camps, they were allowed to stay with their families and were taken to a special family part of Auschwitz [8].The first arrivals at Auschwitz by the Gypsies came before the camp was completely ready, and they were forced to stay in horse barracks. The Gypsies were tattooed with a "Z," standing for Zigeuner, followed by a series of numbers. The first mass murder of the Gypsies was on March 23, 1943, where 1,700 men, women, and children were taken to the gas chamber and murdered. The records of the Gypsies in Auschwitz was kept hidden, but it is estimated that 5,600 Gypsies were killed in gas chambers, 14,000 died from disease, and 3,500 were moved to another concentration camp. It is also assumed that 85% of Gypsies sent to Auschwitz died [6].

After the Holocaust
After what was left of the Roma or Gypsy people after the Holocaust, many of them traveled overseas to America. The Gypsies that remained in Europe, however, tried to change aspects of their lives that linked them to Gypsies, so that racism and ethnocentrism against them would soon be discontinued. There are still millions of gypsies around today, even though there are very few records linking them to places. Today, gypsies have the stigma of people who try and tell fortunes and who believe in powers that do not coexist with reality today [1].