Traditional commemorative ceremony dedicated to the Romani victims of Nazism will be held on Sunday, 1 August at Lety u Písku, Czech Republic

On Sunday, 1 August, the traditional commemorative ceremony honoring the Romani victims of Nazism will be held at the site of the unmarked burial ground for the victims of the WWII-era concentration camp at Lety u Písku, Czech Republic. “Esteemed friends, the members of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust would like to invite you to our traditional commemorative ceremony dedicated to the Romani victims of Nazism. For a second year, thanks to the former administration of Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, we are able to organize this ceremony, with the support of the Czech Ministry of Culture, in a more dignified setting at the burial site for the members of our families who were prisoners of the concentration camp near near the village of Lety u Písku,” reads the invitation that has been sent to news server Romea.cz by the chair of the Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust, Čeněk Růžička.

“As we visit this symbolic place of the suffering of the Roma and Sinti, let’s tell all the xenophobes, neo-Nazis and racists that hatred of any minority will not find support in our country,” the invitation reads. The program of the event will be as follows:

PROGRAM

12:00 – Czech national anthem, hymn of the Romani prisoners of the Nazi concentration camps

12:10 – Welcoming of participants

12:20 – Laying of floral offerings at the memorial

13:20 – Spiritual offering

13:50 – Cultural program

14:10 – Speeches

15:10 – Closing of the event – those attending will be able to visit the parish cemetery in nearby Mirovice where the children who died as camp prisoners were buried en masse. 

The Committee for the Redress of the Roma Holocaust is chartering a round-trip bus from Prague to the site free of charge for those interested. “The charter bus will be parked in the usual place near the Florenc bus station beneath the overpass on Na Florenci Street in front of the newly-opened grocery market. The bus will have a sign reading LETY in the window,” Růžička told Romea.cz.  

The charter bus will depart Prague at 9:45 AM on 1 August and is expected to return to Prague by 17:00 at the latest. Those interested in reserving a place on the bus can do so by emailing ruzicka.vporh@seznam.cz or calling or texting +420 603 247 617 (Czech only).