Posted on 01/04/2012 12:03:29 PM PST by bayouranger
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Outspoken Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders called on the government Wednesday to apologize for the country’s “passive” response to the mass deportations of Jews by Nazi occupiers during World War II.
The move is likely to re-ignite debate about Dutch attitudes to the wartime persecution of the country’s Jewish population.
Of the 140,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands before the war, more than 100,000 were deported and murdered. About 30,000 Jews live here now, out of a total population of nearly 17 million.
Wilders is best known for his strident criticism of Islam and also is a strong supporter of Israel. He wrote to Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday asking if he would apologize based on comments by two former government ministers in a recently published book about postwar reparations to Jews.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Mr Wilders takes NO prisoners! The fellow has very large family jewels!
But the government of the Netherlands fled to London.
Which government is he referring to? The Nazi puppet state?
Then about 23 minutes later they interviewed another fellow, who stated how the greatest failing of the Dutch People during the war, was their Lethargic attitude towards the Nazi's and the Deportation of Jews, and how that Sin will always be with their nation.
Just and Interesting Little Factoid I thought, to show how leftist think when you literally do nothing, they think they did something.
Seems to me to be living 60 years in the past.
“Maybe we should apologize for turning back boatloads of Jewish refugees trying save their lifes by coming to America in the late ‘30’s and which we (in North America) sent back to the gas chambers in Nazi Europe.”
That occurred under the Roosevelt Regime, and we all know FDR could do no wrong.
The experience was not unique to the Dutch. It was all too common among the occupied countries. To resist the Germans would have brought harsh reprisal. On the other hand, actively assisting them bought some respite and at a low cost. Frankly, most of Europe then, as now, hated the Jews in their midst and were glad to be shed of them. Pogroms had gone out of fashion, alas, but here was an opportunity to begin them anew!
The Dutch did establish the 23rd volunteeer panzer grenadier division - Waffen SS. There were a lot of them, a plurality at least, who identified with the Nazis. The common Dutch phenotyope fit the Aryan ideal quite well.
The Holocaust could never have been so successful were it not for the enthusiastic participation by the local authorities all over occupied Europe. They cheerfully drew the proverbial chalk lines around the Jewish ghettos for the Germans and opened their records to the Einsatzgruppen and the other organs of the Final Solution.
Disinter our heroic war dead and bring them home. Let the Ishmaelites have them. They’re barren and dead already.
To take a shot at Hollywood though, I must recount the story of Ann Frank, also hidden by the Dutch with her parents. In the film, the heavy, harsh voices of German troops were heard breaking down the doors of the safe house. Using rifle butts. In actual fact, it was the Dutch Green Police, whom I believe collaborated with the Germans, they broke in to the safe house.
Correction to my previous post.
Corrie Ten Boom survived to end her days in California, dying at 91 years. Her father died in the concentration camp, as did her sister. Three other relatives were released during the occupation.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Not particularly important anymore, but I'm sure the apology would be welcomed by those still alive. Kudus for Wilders, he seems to take no prisoners.
The US did “nothing” to save Jews during the War? Goodness Gracious, who do you think liberated Western Europe?
I don't know about that. There's a few hundred thousand white stones in graveyards that would attest otherwise.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend the movie “Soldier of Orange”, featuring a young Rutger Hauer, a good movie about the German occupation of Holland.
I have much respect for Mr. Wilders... He’s generally fighting the good fight. But...
I don’t however see much point in these well-after-the-fact “apologies”. Its just a bunch of people that weren’t there “apologizing” to another bunch of people that weren’t there for a bunch of stuff they didn’t do.
I have much respect for Mr. Wilders... He’s generally fighting the good fight. But...
I don’t however see much point in these well-after-the-fact “apologies”. Its just a bunch of people that weren’t there “apologizing” to another bunch of people that weren’t there for a bunch of stuff they didn’t do.
What? You think we liberated Europe to save Jews?
Unbelievable.....
I'm not aware of "a few hundred thousand white stones in graveyards ............." which are attributable to the cause of trying to save European Jews from the Holocaust.
Maybe you can enlighten us as to when that operation took place.
“What? You think we liberated Europe to save Jews?
Unbelievable.....”
No, to take out the Nazi occupiers.
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