Stevo Karoli

6 April 1940The French Government orders the ‘house arrest’ of ‘nomads’ throughout French territory. This abolishes freedom of movement for Sinti and Roma by decree.

10 May 1940Germany extends the war to Western Europe; the Wehrmacht invades Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

21 January 1942In German-occupied Belgium, special identity cards for Sinti and Roma are introduced on the initiative of the Belgian aliens police. Sinti and Roma are not allowed to leave their place of residence between 5 and 20 January for the issuing of special ID cards.

29 March 1943The Reich Security Main Office orders the deportation of Roma and Sinti from German-occupied territories and countries (Belgium, Bialystok district, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and northern France) to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp.

23 November 1943In Tournai, German-occupied Belgium, 19 members of the Karoli family are arrested by the Feldgendarmerie.

15 January 1944From the ‘SS transit camp’ in Mechelen, German-occupied Belgium, 352 men, women and children are deported on the train known as ‘Transport Z’ to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, where they arrive two days later. One-year-old Georgette Hédouin dies during the transport.  

19 May 1944In the German-occupied Netherlands, 245 Sinti and Roma and 208 Jews are deported from the transit camp Westerbork to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. In Assen, German-occupied Netherlands, twelve Sinti and Roma are loaded onto this train. Thanks to the help of a policeman, Zoni Weisz escapes deportation with her aunt and cousins. A deportation train from Mechelen (Dossin barracks), German-occupied Belgium, is coupled to the train from Westerbork en route; on this train is a Rom named Stevo Karoli.

15 April 1945British soldiers liberate Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. Around a quarter of the liberated inmates die in the following weeks as a result of their imprisonment.

26 February 1947In Belgium, compensation is only granted if the arrest was caused by ‘selfless patriotic activity’ during the German occupation. As racist reasons are not taken into account, Sinti and Roma who survived the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp are not compensated.