Moldova fights hate speech as Roma Holocaust remembered
Hate speech against Roma is on the rise in Moldova, officials and civil society representatives warned during a roundtable commemorating the Roma Holocaust.
Participants stressed the need for effective anti-discrimination policies alongside educational measures to preserve the memory of the genocide.
Around 500,000 Roma were murdered during the Holocaust, including approximately 11,000 of the 25,000 deported to camps in Transnistria between 1942 and 1944, noted State Secretary Valentina Olaru.
"Today, it is essential to keep the memory of victims alive and strengthen efforts against xenophobia and intolerance," Olaru declared at the August 3 event.
The topic is currently taught to 9th and 12th-grade students in History classes and through an optional course taken by over 2,100 pupils across 75 schools.
To build on this, the Ministry of Education and Research is drafting an action plan for 2027–2030 that explicitly introduces the concept of "antigypsyism."
Olaru emphasized that defining antigypsyism strategically reaffirms Moldova's commitment to human rights, historical memory, and democratic values.
The ministry has also organized teacher training sessions in partnership with the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the Council of Europe, according to official Ivan Duminică.
Victoria Savciuk, representing the EVZ Foundation, warned that historical amnesia creates conditions for new crimes, making memory work crucial for the future.
Meanwhile, authorities have designated a site near Chisinau's Visterniceni Railway Station for a new Roma Holocaust memorial monument.
Survey data presented by Veaceslav Reabcinschi, head of the Agency for Interethnic Relations, showed that citizens unaware of the Holocaust fell from over 13% in 2020 to 9.6% in 2025.
However, Reabcinschi noted a worrying trend: hate speech indicators grew during the same period, signaling a need to rethink public policy and anti-discrimination outreach.
To address this, the agency plans to expand its "Dialog 29" program nationwide to reduce bias and combat hate speech against the Roma community.
Commemorative events in Moldova included the unveiling of an informational plaque at the Visterniceni site on August 3 and an upcoming conference at the Manuc Bei Complex on August 5.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
