German biscuit heiress apologises for Nazi forced labour remarks

By Joseph Nasr

 

FILE PHOTO: Part of a memorial to the victims of forced labour under Nazi rule in Germany is seen at the former Buchenwald concentration camp site in Schwerte, Germany, January 13, 2015. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender/File Photo

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - The heiress of a German biscuit empire has apologised for stirring outrage with remarks that appeared to play down the hardship suffered by dozens of people forced to work at the family business under Nazi rule.

 

Verena Bahlsen, whose father owns the Bahlsen company that makes some of Germany's most famous biscuits, said her remarks that the firm did nothing wrong when it employed 200 forced labourers during World War Two were thoughtless.

 

Most of the forced labourers at Hanover-based Bahlsen were women, many from Nazi-occupied Ukraine.

 

"This was before my time and we paid the forced labourers exactly as much as German workers and we treated them well," 25-year-old Bahlsen, one of four children of company owner Werner Bahlsen, told the mass-selling Bild newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.

 

German politicians criticised her remarks and some social media users called for a boycott of Bahlsenbiscuits.

 

"It was a mistake to amplify this debate with thoughtless responses," Bahlsen said in a statement on Wednesday. "I apologize for that. Nothing could be further from my mind than to downplay national socialism or its consequences."

 

She added that she recognised the need to learn more about the company's history.

 

"As the next generation, we have responsibility for our history. I expressly apologise to all whose feelings I have hurt."

 

Bahlsen, which makes Leibniz butter cookies, voluntarily paid 1.5 million deutschmarks (about 750,000 euros) in 2000-2001 to a foundation set up by German firms to compensate 20 million forced labourers used by the Nazis.

 

Former forced labourers have failed to obtain compensation from Bahlsen in individual lawsuits, with German courts citing statute of limitations laws.

"If you inherit such a large estate you also inherit responsibility and should not come across as aloof," Lars Klingbeil, secretary general of the centre-left Social Democrats, told Bild on Tuesday.

 

Germans also voiced anger towards the heiress on social media.

 

"Bahlsen is now officially the official snack food of the AfD," one Twitter user wrote on Tuesday, referring to the far-right Alternative for Germany party, whose leaders have been accused of downplaying Nazi crimes.

 

"The Bahlsen package is rather blue," the user added, referring to the blue colour of both the biscuit box and the AfD party flag.

 

Other Twitter users called for a boycott of the Bahlsen brands. "never buy #Bahlsen," tweeted Walter Petermann.

 

Verena Bahlsen has also been criticised for boasting about her wealth and love of conspicuous consumption.

 

"I own a fourth of Bahlsen and I am very happy about that," she said at a business event in Hamburg earlier this month. "I want to earn money and buy a sailing yacht."

 

(Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Kirsten Donovan)

 



-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-16

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This is nothing compare to long list of world leaders and powerful industrialist from all over the world who were nazi supporters and collaborators that their products are still being widely sold all over the world, does anyone gives a shit? Not really... they didn't matter than, and even now, in the eyes of many in the world, they still don't matter...

Edited May 15, 20197 yr by ezzra

49 minutes ago, ezzra said:

This is nothing compare to long list of world leaders and powerful industrialist from all over the world who were nazi supporters and collaborators that their products are still being widely sold all over the world, does anyone gives a shit? Not really... they didn't matter than, and even now, in the eyes of many in the world, they still don't matter...

Obviously someone does give a shit, otherwise no scandal, but always someone to pipe up that it isn't so.

Crumbs.

4 minutes ago, champers said:

Crumbs.

That could be perceived as quite tasteless.

I personally would like to see compulsory service for 1 year for all young people perhaps it would help teach empathy that is sorely lacking in this young woman and many others 

I wonder how she treats her current staff?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"I own a fourth of Bahlsen and I am very happy about that," she said at a business event in Hamburg earlier this month. "I want to earn money and buy a sailing yacht."

With her privileged and hereditary position it is highly unlikely that she will ever need to EARN money.  What she is referring to is her need to be patient while her unearned income from a business made successful by forced labour (which she openly admits) in WWII accumulates.

What next, a worldwide ban on Fanta?

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

That could be perceived as quite tasteless.

Well maybe but she may learn that that some remarks just indicate how the cookie crumbles.

Her glutenous maximus incontinencious   buttocks really got burnt over that one...

Time to forget about all this stuff from WW2. It was 75 years ago....so draw a line under it and move on.

I am sick of hearing people apologising for odd remarks they make. If she wants to believe they treated their workers fairly, then let her say it. If she wants to believe the family myth then let her. It's a Schindler's List thing. 

"This was before my time and we paid the forced labourers exactly as much as German workers and we treated them well,"

If that statement is true, then what was her firms crime? If her firm hadn't used them and treated well, then perhaps those workers would have been sent to firm not so decent.

If you want to get your panties in a knot, how about going after Catholic church that used Vatican pipeline to help get high ranking Nazis out of Germany and off to South America to escape justice?

2 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Time to forget about all this stuff from WW2. It was 75 years ago....so draw a line under it and move on.

I am sick of hearing people apologising for odd remarks they make. If she wants to believe they treated their workers fairly, then let her say it. If she wants to believe the family myth then let her. It's a Schindler's List thing. 

Easy for you to say probably because none of your family members were murdered with Xyclon B. But very painful for many families where the parents and children were cruelly separated and never saw each other again.......alive. But then it was 75 years ago......so just suck it up, get over it and move on. Thanks for your insensitive comments. It might be better in the future if you kept them to yourself.

good to learn will NEVER purchase any products from Bahlsen company.

want touch such people, touch their greed and money, boycot their products

5 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Time to forget about all this stuff from WW2. It was 75 years ago....so draw a line under it and move on.

I am sick of hearing people apologising for odd remarks they make. If she wants to believe they treated their workers fairly, then let her say it. If she wants to believe the family myth then let her. It's a Schindler's List thing. 

But in any event, I suspect with her wealth, just like other wealthy folk any where in the world, she don't give a damn about what other people think. I wish I was fortunate enough at 25 to enjoy the trappings of wealth like her.  If they didn't like what I say they could just get of my yacht or p$ss of from my private island, no problem for me.

Edited May 16, 20197 yr by geoffbezoz

She takes the biscuit !

4 hours ago, Jerry787 said:

good to learn will NEVER purchase any products from Bahlsen company.

want touch such people, touch their greed and money, boycot their products

Lucky for you haven't tried their dark chocolate leibniz biscuits. Addictive. Maybe they are a crime against humanity?

7 hours ago, Mansell said:

Easy for you to say probably because none of your family members were murdered with Xyclon B. But very painful for many families where the parents and children were cruelly separated and never saw each other again.......alive. But then it was 75 years ago......so just suck it up, get over it and move on. Thanks for your insensitive comments. It might be better in the future if you kept them to yourself.

So only comments you agree with are allowed?