Berlin: That We May Never Forget

A sign of times past

Just at the entrance of Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn Station is a panel board of place names. Twelve in a list that spells the recording of one of man’s greatest inhumanities to man.

A list of Nazi Concentration Camps

These were the Nazi Concentration Camp names of which if you have read a bit of World War II history, Auschwitz is the most prominent.

The Nazis used these camps for various activities as hostage, labour, prisoner-of-war, re-education, transit and extermination camps. It was in some of these extermination camps that they systemically killed off people, most especially the Jews in what is known as the Holocaust.

Feeling the presence of pain

Now, I have never visited any of these places, but in 2007, I visited Pawiak Prison in Warsaw and that experience still lives with me, for I am of the opinion that where innocent blood is shed, there is always a memorial of feeling and uneasiness that beclouds that place.

Blog - PAWIAK!

However, what struck me more about the Nazi setup was their attention to detail that created a bureaucracy of such efficiency that the particularity of things they documented just took your breath away.

Badges of badgering

One good example of this was the identification in the Nazi Concentration Camps where tattooed numbers, badges and armbands immediately identified the type of prisoner you were.

Nazi Concentration Camp Badges – Courtesy Wikipedia

So, you had political prisoners (red), professional criminals (green), emigrants (blue), Jehovah’s Witnesses (purple), Homosexuals and sexual offenders (pink), asocial elements (black), Roma gypsies (brown) and so on. Pink triangle along with the rainbow flag now signify LGBTI causes and diversity.

The Original Rainbow Flag – Courtesy Wikipedia

The two superimposed triangles in the sign of the Star of David depicted Jews, typically yellow but could have other colours signifying Jew and another offender category.

That we may never forget.

The most important lesson to learn from this and in that understand why World War II was fought and won for our liberty, freedom and acceptance of difference and diversity is in the many memorials that say as shown on that sign, “Orte Des Schreckens, Die Wir Niemals Vergessen Dürfen.” This roughly translates to, “The Places of Horror, That We May Never Forget.”

They who have no history and keep no memorials are destined to repeat history, those reminded of the horrific past are quicker to embrace the greater good of humanity and human existence.

More correctly, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana or “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” Edmund Burke.

We speak of history because there is a burden of truth we must carry for the present in order to secure a future of peace and happiness.

Josef Fritzl - An Austrian Model?

Insane acts but not an insane man

After I read an article by Peter Millar in the Daily Mail, I found many answers to the questions I raised about Austrian in my earlier blog about Josef Fritzl – This is really a rehash of that same article interspersed with my views.

The case of Josef Fritzl and his incestuous relationship with his daughter for at least 31 years and the consequent imprisonment of his daughter for 24 years read like unprecedented insanity that is almost unthinkable.

Any lawyer for Josef Fritzl would confidently argue that his client should be committed to a psychiatric ward rather than to prison for what is general terms are heinous crimes.

It would be extremely convenient for the people in charge of the image that Austria projects to the world to legally acquiesce to that thinking and pigeonhole the matter to the case of a deranged and unstable mentally ill man then move on swiftly.

Fritzl a keyhole into Austria

Unfortunately, I am not one of those who would buy that cop-out that easily, I think Mr. Fritzl offers an opportunity for Austria to review their history and address some serious issues about their nation, their identity and possible misrepresentations of who they really are.

To allow Mr. Fritzl to get away with pleading insanity rather than taking complete responsibility for his carefully detailed meticulous and Machiavellian scheming that has sorrowfully damaged many lives would be outrageous to say the least.

For every detail we have learnt of Mr. Fritzl, he appears to have been of seriously sound mind and very aware of what he required for his pleasure and did what it took to achieve those ends – he cannot have been mentally ill by any stretch of the imagination.

Joining their German folk

Though Austria has a history dating back to the 9^th Century, the present Austria came about at the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War, the people of that country comprised most of the German-speaking parts of that empire that the French refused to allow to merge with German in the fear that a Greater Germany might lead to another great war.

One badly kept secret is the fact that Adolf Hitler was born in Austria but beyond that, one of Hitler’s goals was to bring together all the German speaking people into one greater Germany it lead to the annexation of Austria and the forceful acquisition of Sudetenland in the old Czechoslovakia.

The government of Austria somehow realised the annexation would be inevitable and planned a plebiscite to determine if the people would want to retain independence or be subsumed into the greater Germany dream.

Before the people were presented with that choice the Austrian National Socialist Party had routed the government and presented an opportunity for Hilter to take over Austria – the Anschluss – without as much as shooting a gun.

No von Trapp resistance

The Nazis then presented the people with the plebiscite and it was favourably passed with 99.73% accepting Nazi rulership.

There was no resistance in Austria like the kind we know of in France; in fact the story of the von Trapp family as popularised in the Sound Of Music was a radical exception rather than the rule.

An unfortunate accident of history lead to the allied powers considering Austria a victim of Hitler’s actions rather than a willing acquiescent people, this designation was supposed to help a simply non-existent resistance but it played well into the post-war exculpation of Austrians from involvement in the Nazi machinery.

A false history

Austria finally became independent in 1955 and have kept their victim status since – the election of Kurt Waldheim as President in the 1980s after finding out that he had omitted parts of his Nazi career past and we all bought his story especially after he had been the Secretary General of the United Nations for two terms.

Austrian cosiness with a Nazi past that is deeper than presented and accepted is legendary unlike the Germans who have had a complete catharsis; they have been respectably Catholic with very conservative values that keeps the woman in the kitchen, in the church and caring for the children like the beautiful Nazi wives of old.

My experience of this was quite notable in that on a trip round Europe in 1999, I visited Vienna in June and to discover the city I tried to hire a bicycle. The man refused to give me a bicycle for the simple reason that he thought I might end up in the wrong part of town.

Presumably, there was a part of Vienna that would have put me in real danger for my welfare, safety and life – much as other residents of Vienna denied there could ever be the possibility of coming across such a mishap – the evil was either lurking as racism from the bicycle hire shop or a more sinister right-wing element ready to pounce in some Vienna back street.

Suppressed Women of Austria

Natascha Kampusch touched a raw nerve when she suggested that what happened to her and Elizabeth Fritzl were a result of authoritarian education and the suppression of womenfolk in the name of strict Christian family values and more importantly the Austrian Nazi past.

It makes one wonder if there are not many more abuses in Austria but not to the extremes that we have learnt of those two ladies.

When I go back to answer the questions I asked about Austrian soul-searching, questions I had no idea of being able to answer when I first wrote them, I find that I can without much persuasion answer Yes to all of them.

Would the Austrians be able to face up to their past and make all the amends necessary to bring their society round to both the truth and civility expected of countries that too conveniently cavorted with Nazism?

We would have to wait and see if they would seize that opportunity.

Reference

Peter Millar – In the shadow of the Swastika

Snuff out that Olympic torch already

Non-political Olympics

I can only wonder how long we can continue to delude ourselves into thinking the Olympics has no political connotations.

I would acquiesce to that feeling only when representation at the Olympics moves on from geo-political entities called countries or nations and allows for independent participation. Let a world-citizen complete without having to be affiliated to some country and let the best sportsman win regardless.

Press-ganged by China

I have no problems with China hosting the Olympics in Beijing but that honour comes with global scrutiny which cannot be caged in some restraint of protest because of discomfort.

It is amazing that we find European countries being forced into uncomfortable and embarrassing authoritarian police action all to appease China whilst China tries to manage the propaganda at home by demonising any dissent.

Berlin to Beijing

The parallels; the showcasing of the 1936 Berlin Olympics under the Nazis who were announcing the arrival of Germany on the world stage and the 2008 Beijing Olympics announcing the arrival of Communist China on the world stage leaves us without much scope for irony because the reality is as stark as we all can see.

The Chinese have great national pride just as the Germans under Nazi occupation but they have none of the great liberal freedoms that we in the West take for granted and that allows them to condone other unpalatable regimes around the world for the reason that they term certain matters internal even though the issues affect humanity and the human race - global review can no more condone this kind of oppression.

The matter of the Olympic torch relay is interesting because it owes its progeny to the Nazis in 1936, why we need to have the torch tour countries other than the penultimate host, Greece and the host country, escapes me – it is as political as you can make the sport without owning up to the fact that it is political.

Politics in sport in politics

Politicians and sportspersons with political leverage in some ways would handle that dreadful torch and send all sorts of messages to the whole world.

I sympathise with the fact that sportspersons look for the ultimate accolade and challenge at the Olympics, nowhere is national pride so displayed for a global audience as the Olympics, the football World Cup does not come close with just 32 countries.

I am not advocating a boycott, but there has to be a message sent out to all well-meaning people and those who think they can through propaganda silence the yearnings and aspirations of their people need the force of humanity at a gathering such as the Olympics to highlight the plight of the oppressed and have something constructively done about it.

For glory or honour

We should not in the quest for Olympic glory forget that there is an honourable duty to perform on behalf of the oppressed, the suppressed and the disenfranchised.

If we cannot bring into our sportsmanship that quality of moral outrage in support of those who have been so battered by governments they did not chose, who rule over them with an iron fist but have no legitimacy with their constituency – then it is time to snuff out that Olympic flame forthwith and send the wet and watered wick back to Beijing.

Warsaw arising

A tourist itinerary

My first day in Warsaw was interesting as I spoke with the concierge about what interesting things to do and see in Warsaw.

My hotel room on the 7^th floor overlooks the Saxon Garden and work commencing on the restoration of the Saxon Palace, the excavations now showing the old foundations.

After a chat to the concierge, I decided on the Warsaw tour, the guide would pick us up at 13:45, so I had time to kill before that rendezvous.

A quick walk down to Tourist Office for the Warsaw Tourist Card which I might not use, but is useful if I do need to get into one of the museums listed along my way.

A tourist dilemma

As I got to the ramparts of the Old Town, a girl accosted me and requested I stop to talk, I remonstrated saying there was no reason to stop; these squares are full of people trying to con tourists, sometimes you have to be quite assertively uncooperative – the best way is to keep walking and they eventually would fall away.

She had a good story, a university rag day where they to make people smile and engage in some social interaction, the accosted party rates them between 1 to 10 eventually parting with cash for some nondescript children’s charity and signing a form recording this meeting. That is a smart confidence trick if I ever saw one and I got fleeced and ended up with a candle souvenir.

Hardly had I been done over by this lady a man who had been waiting in line came over to tell me a sorry tale about prison, unemployment, food and shelter.

I do not like hearing these tales, I am not the social services and really as a tourist, it is none of my business however hard these people try generate empathy for their circumstances, it is a complete put-off as it sometimes gets aggressive.

Give it me back

I gave him something only to be confronted with the effrontery of it not being enough – You must be kidding me – I doubt if anyone had ever given him as much before I did, but because I could be that generous I sometimes get taken for dork – that really angers me.

On some occasions I have asked to be given back my money and they should go bother someone else, that usually jolts them back to reality, but this time, the only thing I could muster with a loud voice in the crowded square was – I am just a tourist in Warsaw, your problem is not my problem; the last part became a chorus repeated three times as I walked away and he also fell away.

The next little kid who crossed my path with a mendicant’s countenance stiffened by parental guidance got menaced with my cane swinging in offensive poise; I was not going to suffer this stuff gladly anymore.

Getting back on tour

I made it back for the hotel in time to catch a nap and then meet up for the tour of Warsaw which started off as a tour of hotels where only the English and Germans kept time and others kept us waiting for up to 15 minutes and did not utter a greeting talk less of an apology as they boarded the bus.

In fact, I thought it would b a bus tour but it included a two hour walk in different places, so the first walk was through the Park Lazienkowski towards the Palace on the Water which we entered and strangely everyone but those with canes had to wear shoe protectors.

The heavens opened as we roamed the rooms and corridors, this weekend is not expected to exhibit the best of sunny weather even though it would get hot and very humid.

Polish angst weaved into a guided tour

Funny quips about shape of the parliament building looking like circus but the circus really being in the chamber or the some federal building with a yellow colour being a banana republic got us all laughing; the Poles can make fun of themselves.

We called at the monument to the Warsaw Ghetto heroes and heard about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the Warsaw Uprising and there have been quite a few in 1794, 1830 and lately 1944 - before we ended up at the Warsaw Old Town where we sought refuge for quiet contemplation in a reconstructed church from the elements before we returned to our hotels.

As interesting as the tour was, along with the very friendly people I met, much of what I gleaned from the tour guide was Polish angst, Polish suffering, the equating of their history to that of the Jews and their more consuming hatred of the Russians over the Germans.

At least the Germans have tried to apologise for the Nazi occupation and Jewish persecution, it would appear Russia is still too big to recognise that they had done Poland wrong, not to talk of the fact that Western Europe went to war with Germany over Poland and then sold them out to the Soviet influence at the Yalta Conference.

Today, I should do something cultural like a Frederic Chopin recital and something scientific about Marie Skłodowska-Curie, both Polish born who emigrated to Paris at some point in their lives.

So far so good.

Achtung! Schwarz Neger

Coming to your local cinema

As if we were to expect anything less, the proud members of the Aryan race who being the grand-brood of the former Hitler Jugend that grew up to serve in the Panzer divisions that overran Northern France during World War II released their training video to much acclaim.

It featured a lion being taunted or rather, baited with a large juicy piece of bloody fresh meat; the lion snarled and roared then having had enough of the baiting lunged for the chunk of spicy beef, but just missed it by a fraction of an inch – they captured it all on film; what the director wanted was the action-play, even the National Geographic Channel would be put in the shade with this excellent storyboard and real life action.

Sorry, I must be writing about something else; I meant, the lion was a recruit being goaded into aggressive soldier behaviour and the bloody fresh meat was really a narration given to incense the soldier enough to show raw aggression, as one would expect at war.

A black narrative

That narration went thus – “You're in the Bronx, a black van pulls up in front of you and three African-Americans get out and start really insulting your mother... act!”

Now, that is some imagination the instructor has, the stuff that good German military prowess is made of.

From that narration, one would suppose the Bronx is one hell-hole, a black van is a vehicle of aggression, African-Americans are savages and this soldier loves his mother. To have abuse heaped on his mother by black strangers would have been enough to get any soldier-boy to ACT – I suppose that means charge with a gun and kill all the black men – amazing how words can create pictures in ones mind and urge you to express an aggressive emotion.

The habit of generations

Well, it was the same German army that had holiday snaps from Afghanistan posing with skulls, dare I say, the skulls once belonged to living members of the human race, the same troop had a World War II symbol on their vehicle – what skullduggery.

This is becoming a very long story being fleshed out in needless translation, I would say, the instructor simply bellowed with a very loud voice pointing the forward direction – “Achtung! Schwarz Neger” – you do not need much more to get the best out the German Army.