Naslov
Roma also Fought: The History of Romani Participation in the Anti-Fascist Movement in Croatia during World War II

Autori
Vojak, Danijel

Izvornik
Roma rights (1417-1503) 1 (2017); 9-16

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Roma, Second World War, Independent State of Croatia, antifascism, fascism.

Sažetak
The Roma population settled in Croatia in the second half of the 14th Century, which makes them one of the oldest minority communities in this area. From that time, they have mostly been subjected to state and local policies of assimilation and persecution, which they attempted to resist by protecting their way of life, customs and language. The culmination of the repressive and violent policies state and local authorities towards Roma in Croatia took place during World War II when in early April 1941, the army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia capitulated and collapsed after a brief military conflict with the Axis Powers. Then, with the help and support of the Axis Powers, a pro-fascist movement called the Ustaše, led by Ante Pavelić, came to power as they declared the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, recognized only by the member states of the Tripartite Pact. The Ustasha authories with the support of a part of Croatian society and based on the negative perception of the Roma as “parasites” and “undesirables” passed the racial laws which deprived them of civil and other rights, prohibited their movement and compel them to forced registration. In May 1942 Ustasha authorities began with the mass deportation of Roma in the Jasenovac concentration camp which was the largest concentration camp in Independent State of Croatia. According to available archival and other sources, mass deportation and killing of the Roma population in the Jasenovac camp was mostly completed within in a just few months, after which the Ustasha government stated that “Gypsy question” in Croatia was finally resolved. In context of the implementation of genocidal policies against Roma in the Independent State of Croatia during World War II is still almost unknown that part of the Roma actively tried to resist the Ustasha racial politics and joined the Croatian anti-fascist military units - the partisans. This research directly opposes the thesis of some scientists who wrote that Roma left their homes in silence and obedient way (without resistance) to be deported in the Ustasha concentration camps where were they tortured and killed. Based on recent research in archival, museum and library institutions in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Serbia in the paper will be analyzed the way in which part of the Roma resisted fascist racial policy authorities of the Independent State of Croatia. The research will be based on analyzing relevant literature and relevant newspapers and other periodicals.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Povijest

Napomena
Rad je dostupan na http://www.errc.org/cms/upload/file/roma-rights-journal-1-2017.pdf

POVEZANOST RADA