Interview Date: July 7, 2025

Location: Athens, Greece

As part of the ROMDIEM project, we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Labros Baltsiotis, a historian and expert in minority rights, who offered a thought-provoking perspective on the Greek context of the Roma Holocaust.

Dr. Baltsiotis holds a law degree from Democritus University of Thrace, a Diplôme in History from EHESS (Paris), and a PhD in History from Panteion University. He currently works as a senior expert at the Greek Ombudsman and serves as an Assistant Professor of History and Political Science at Panteion University.

In our conversation, new dimensions of Greek Holocaust memory emerged, including a controversial but important insight:

”The Roma Holocaust in Greece was not as large-scale as in other parts of Europe. In some cases, Roma people were even protected—but at the same time, they were wrongly accused by local communities of crimes”.

This interview invites us to look more closely at how national narratives shape what we remember—and what we ignore.

Want to dive deeper into this complex history?

Stay tuned—the ROMDIEM White Paper is coming soon, offering a detailed overview of the Roma Holocaust across eight countries, including Greece.