Heinrich Himmler, as the head of the SS (Schutzstaffel), implemented policies that aimed at the systematic extermination of groups considered racially inferior by the Nazi regime. On November 15, 1943, he reaffirmed these policies by ordering that Gypsies, who had already faced increasing persecution, be placed on the same level as Jews. This marked a pivotal moment in the escalation of anti-Romani sentiment and actions within Nazi Germany.

At this point in the war, the Nazi regime had long engaged in efforts to marginalize and eliminate the Romani population, issuing orders that categorized them similarly to Jews in their focus for extermination. Himmler's directive was not an isolated incident but part of broader plans that combined racial ideology with wartime propaganda. As a result, thousands of Romani people were rounded up and sent to concentration camps where they faced brutal conditions, forced labor, and often death.

The order was implemented in various concentration camps across Europe, leading to the suffering of many innocent individuals. The Nazis viewed the Romani lifestyle as a threat to their vision of Aryan supremacy, further fueling the hatred that justified their inhumane actions. This horrific decision and its subsequent execution contributed to what is known as the Porajmos, the Romani Holocaust, wherein an estimated 220,000 to 1.5 million Romani were murdered during the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis.