Plinth installed to replace vandalised Holocaust memorial in Glasgow Published duration 27 January Related Topics The Holocaust

image copyright Romano Lav image caption The memorial was located in Queen's Park in Govanhill

A memorial to the Roma victims of the Holocaust which was destroyed by vandals in Glasgow has been replaced.

Representatives from Glasgow City Council and the charity Romano Lav attended Queen's Park, Govanhill, as the new granite plinth was unveiled on Saturday.

The original memorial - a rose tree and plaque - was planted on 2 August 2019 to mark the Roma Genocide Memorial Day.

The plaque was vandalised in November last year.

Romano Lav said they were "disgusted" while police said they would investigate the matter.

Believed to be the first formal installation to remember Roma in Glasgow and in Scotland, the plaque was dedicated to "all of those Roma who were murdered during the Holocaust".

image copyright Romano Lav image caption The original plaque was destroyed in November 2019

Govanhill not only has the highest population of Roma in Scotland, but is also one of the country's most diverse populations.

An online crowdfunder was launched to replace the memorial while the council also contributed £1,000.

A robust granite plinth was installed over the weekend, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

Councillor Soryia Siddique, who coordinated a meeting between Romano Lav and council members, said: "We stand in solidarity against racism or bias against any community."

image copyright Councillor Soryia Siddique image caption The new granite plinth was installed at the original site

The 'Devouring' of Europe's Roma people

image copyright Getty Images image caption The Gypsy Vardo memorial in Ukraine is in memory of the Roma genocide

Europe's Roma and Sinti people (often labelled as gypsies historically) were targeted by the Nazis for destruction.

About 200,000 people, about 25% of the pre-war population, were murdered or died of starvation or disease, according to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Many more were imprisoned or used as forced labour. Others were subjected to forced sterilisation or medical experimentation.

The persecution is known at The Porrajmos which translates as the Devouring

About 20,000 were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau alone, which had its own Gypsy Camp.