La Fragua Projects is taking part in the 2026 Samudaripen Memorial to ensure that «never again» becomes a genuine commitment
The memory of the Rroma genocide reminds us that human dignity cannot depend on a person’s origin, identity or status.
La Fragua Projects took part in the Samudaripen Memorial 2026, an event of remembrance and recognition dedicated to the victims of the genocide of the Rromani People during the Nazi era. The event brought together representatives from institutions, social organisations and Rromani organisations to pay tribute to those who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime, and to call for the pledge of ‘never again’ to become a genuine commitment to human rights, equality and the dignity of all people.
The memorial was a space for remembrance, reflection and collective commitment. A place to honour the memory of those who suffered persecution and extermination, but also to reaffirm the need to continue fighting racism, intolerance and any form of dehumanisation in the present day.
Remember so as not to repeat
Samudaripen, which in Rromani means «total murder» or «the great slaughter», is the term used by the Rromani People to commemorate the genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during the Second World War. The Rromani and Sinti communities were persecuted, deported and murdered on racial grounds in a campaign of extermination that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across Europe.
2 August marks the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Samudaripen. The date commemorates the night of 2–3 August 1944, when the Nazi authorities liquidated the so-called Zigeunerlager or «Rromani family camp» at Auschwitz-Birkenau, murdering thousands of men, women and children who were being held prisoner there.
However, the legacy of the Samudaripen is not merely about remembering a historical tragedy. It also forces us to ask ourselves how it was possible for a society to accept that part of its population should be singled out, excluded and ultimately exterminated.
Because no genocide begins with murders.
First come the prejudices. First come the narratives that turn difference into a threat. First, discrimination becomes the norm. First, the dignity of those perceived as different is called into question.
Poster for the 2026 Samudaripen Memorial
A memoir that challenges the present
For the Rromani People in Spain, this report also ties in with another pivotal episode in our history: the General Round-up of Rroma (La Gran Redada) of 1749, when approximately 12,000 Rroma people were arrested, separated from their families and deprived of their liberty in an operation designed to destroy their way of life and their collective identity.
Although separated by centuries, the Great Round-up and Samudaripen share the same root cause: the persecution of people on the basis of their origin and the formulation of policies based on exclusion.
That is why remembrance remains necessary.
We live in a world marked by armed conflict, forced displacement, hate speech and human rights abuses that affect millions of people. Given this reality, remembering the past ceases to be merely a historical exercise and becomes an ethical responsibility.
The lessons of Samudaripen remain relevant today because violence begins long before weapons are involved. It begins when we cease to recognise the humanity of those in front of us.
La Fragua Projects at the Memorial
The Samudaripen Memorial also served as a place to remember all the people and communities who were persecuted by the Nazi regime on the grounds of ethnicity, religion, sexual option, politics, ideology, or simply for being considered different.
During the event, a series of statements and messages were delivered, focusing on remembrance, recognition and a commitment to human rights, emphasising the need to build an inclusive memory that leaves no victim behind.
On behalf of La Fragua Projects, our colleague Iñaki Vázquez Arencón took part in one of the most moving moments of the day, saying the following:
“For all Jewish people, LGBTIQ+ people, people with disabilities and all those who, because of their circumstances, were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime.”
A statement which served as a reminder that memory cannot be built on the basis of forgetting or exclusion.
Remembering the Samudaripen also means acknowledging the suffering of all those who fell victim to Nazism and keeping alive our commitment to a society based on equality, diversity and respect for human dignity.
Because when a person’s dignity is attacked, the dignity of all humanity is put at risk.
Let «never again» be a genuine commitment
The Samudaripen Memorial is not merely a commemoration.
It is a call to action.
To challenge prejudices wherever they arise.
To combat racism and discrimination in all their forms.
Let us reject hate speech.
To defend human rights with the same determination for everyone.
Let us build societies where no one has to live in fear because of their background, identity, beliefs or way of life.
At La Fragua Projects, we believe that memory only has meaning when it serves to transform the present.
Because Samudaripen forms part of the memory of the Romani people, but also of the democratic memory of Europe and of humanity.
Remembering this means defending human dignity today, combating racism and rejecting all forms of hatred or dehumanisation.
Only in this way will «never again» cease to be a phrase uttered at commemorative events and become a shared responsibility with the present and with future generations.
Source: La Fragua Projects.
Images: Institute of Romani Culture, Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and A2030