The Romani Population in Bošnjaci during World War II

Romsko stanovništvo živjelo je u Bošnjacima od kraja XVIII. stoljeća, a do početka Drugoga svjetskog rata većinom je živjelo sjedilačkim načinom života, baveći se raznim obrtima (obradom metala i drva), trgovinom (konjima), poljoprivredom i manjim poslovima u seljačkim kućanstvima. Osnivanjem Nezavisne Države Hrvatske ustaške su vlasti započele s politikom rasnih progona, na čijem su udaru bili i Romi. Vrhunac represije ustaških vlasti prema Romima dogodio se u svibnju 1942., kada su politička, vojna i policijska tijela dobila zadatak deportirati Rome iz svih područja Nezavisne Države Hrvatske u jasenovački koncentracijski logor, gdje je većina njih bila mučena i/ili ubijena. Takva politika ustaških vlasti doprla je i do općinskih vlasti u Bošnjacima, koje su ubrzo deportirale Rome sa svojega područja u jasenovački logor. Istraživanje ovoga rada usmjereno je na analizu progona Roma u Bošnjacima, i to ponajprije na temelju dostupnih arhivskih podataka, relevantne literature te zabilježenih svjedočanstava preživjelih neroma i Roma.The history of the Romani population from their settlement in medieval Europe until today was for the most part marked by periods of violent persecution, which often had the goal to completely assimilate them into the majority population of a certain area. Periods of peace and a certain form of peaceful coexistence with the majority population were rare, and the Romani population continued to “survive” on the socio-economic margins of European societies. The Roma had similar predominantly negative historical “experiences” in Croatian areas. Thus, they also experienced periods of repressive assimilation, which reached their climax during the Independent State of Croatia. The Romani population then found itself targeted by Ustasha racial policy and excluded from Croatian society, which led to their deportation, torture, and killing in various concentration camps, primarily Jasenovac. The consequence of this policy was the almost complete demographic “eradication” of the Roma in Croatian areas. The research presented in this paper is focused on the village of Bošnjaci in Srijem (Syrmia), which was home to several hundred Roma before World War II. Most of them led sedentary lifestyles and constituted an integral part of the community through their economic activity, crafts, trade, and agriculture. After the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, Ustasha racial policy encompassed this rural community, and as a result the Roma were labelled as “dangerous enemies” and “parasites” upon “the pure Croatian racial body”. The deportation of the Roma was conducted in June 1942, when the Roma from Bošnjaci were taken on foot to the county railway station, and then by train to Vinkovci. From this town, they were deported by train to Jasenovac. Only two Roma survived – they were soldiers of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, captured by the German military and sent to perform forced labour in German and Italian camps. The number of Romani victims from Bošnjaci still hasn’t been fully researched despite 11 known attempts. It is, however, known that nobody declared themselves as Romani in the village of Bošnjaci and the entire surrounding district at the time of the next population census (1948). Almost the entire pre-war Romani community, which numbered at least a few hundred Roma, was destroyed as a consequence of Ustasha racial policy. According to the most recent population census, only seven people in this village declared themselves as Roma