The unknown holocaust of the Roma by the Nazi was pointed out  through the Meeting, on the topic «The holocaust of the Roma - The unknown side of the European History », which was held on Saturday 10/4,  at the Rooftile and Brickworks Museum N & S Tsalapatas, in Volos. The meeting was organized jointly by the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias,  the Support Center of the Roma in Aliveri of the public welfare institution KEKPA-DIEK of the Municipality of Volos and the Workshop of Education and Communication in multicultural areas of the Pedagogical department of the University of Thessaly, in the context of the local support network  in educating Roma children in the city of Volos.

In the meeting unknown sides of the history of the Roma were displayed, according to which, during the second World War,  1.000.000 Roma were killed at the concentration camps of Hitler 's people, while they were also actively involved in the National Resistance  during the German occupancy. Moreover, the efforts being made during the last years were highlighted , towards  equal social participation  of the Roma, against prejudice and racism, and as a result the 80% of the Roma children in Magnesia go to school.

 His Eminence Metropolitan of Demetrias and Almyros Mr Ignatius spoke on the pastor actions that our Local Church took on over the last years for the gipsy community of our region, such as « the establishment of the football team «Dimitrias» exclusively  consisting of Roma,  the creation along with, the Support Center of the Roma in Aliveri, Magnesia, the public welfare institution KEKPA-DIEK of the Municipality of Volos and the Workshop of Education and Communication in multicultural areas of the Pedagogical department of the University of Thessaly, in educating Roma children in the city of Volos. It is about a program of supporting mainly the educational needs of the Roma children in the city of Volos .This collective effort has intended  to fill  the gaps of the educational system and the Institutions  of the State and give solutions to  chronic  problems that the Roma community has been facing, by pushing  its members to marginalization and criminal offence.

 A common objective of all these actions is the embodiment of all these children to the community of Volos, so that they will constitute a model of peaceful co-existence of different social groups, offering at the same time elements of culture and artistic creation through theatrical performances, radio-station broadcasts and participation in artistic events.

His Eminence Metropolitan of Demetrias and Almyros Mr Ignatius noted that everyone's common hope is that such actions can combat racist attitudes and xenophobia which, when they were uncontrolled, without spiritual and political resistances, have contaminated whole communities and have led to unbelievable crimes.

It is worth noting that His Eminence Metropolitan of Demetrias and Almyros Mr Ignatius, the day before,  led the service for the Fourth Stasis of the Salutations at the former schools of our Holy Metropolis, in Aliveri, N.Ionia. After that, in the same area, a film of the Christ's life was showed in the language of the Roma.

In this meeting speeches were given by Bishop John of Slavonia, from the Patriarchate of Serbia,  Mr Athanasios Gotovos, Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology, University of Ioannina, Mrs Eva Politou, a Teacher - Dr of the university of Athens and Mr Giannis Georgiou, Sociologist . At the end of the meeting,  the group of Roma students in Aliveri «ROMALEOI», presented historical testimonies on the holocaust, directed by Dr Stelios Pelasgos, who is a narrator, an educationalist and a writer.