Berlin / Cologne (dpa / lnw) – Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) paid tribute to the deceased writer and Auschwitz survivor Philomena Franz. “Philomena Franz was a very important, tireless fighter for commemoration. As one of the first Sintizza, she raised her voice in the 1970s and spoke publicly about her experiences in Auschwitz and other concentration camps,” Roth said on Friday in Berlin.
Franz, born in Biberach in 1922, died on Wednesday at the age of 100 in Rösrath near Cologne. She was an honorary citizen of Bergisch Gladbach. “If you consider that the history of the Nazi persecution of the Sinti and Roma took place almost exclusively within their families for far too long, Philomena Franz’s books were an almost revolutionary step,” said Roth.
Franz was considered one of the last survivors of the genocide of the Sinti and Roma in Europe. After the death of Zilli Schmidt in October, another important eyewitness was given up, Roth said. “For our culture of remembrance, this means that the extent to which Sinti and Roma became victims of the National Socialist policy of extermination must be made clearer.” In addition, the great cultural wealth of the Sinti and Roma must be made even more visible as part of the common culture.
