Dutch Prime Minister apologises for country's role in Holocaust

 

FILE PHOTO: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte attends a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in The Hague, Netherlands, August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

 

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Sunday he was sorry for his country's role during the Holocaust and the lack of action against the persecution of Jews, becoming the first Dutch premier to make such an official apology.

 

"With the last remaining survivors among us, I apologise on behalf of the government for the actions of the government at the time", Rutte said at an event in Amsterdam to mark the 75th anniversary on Monday of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.

 

"I do so, realizing that no word can describe something as enormous and awful as the Holocaust."

 

Earlier Dutch governments have made apologies for the way Jews who survived World War Two atrocities were treated when they returned home from concentration camps, but have shied away from condemning the country's part in the persecution of Jews and other minorities during the German occupation.

 

Too many people in government institutions at the time simply followed German orders, without realizing the consequences of their actions for the people concerned, Rutte said.

 

Around 102,000 of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust came from the Netherlands.

 

"We ask ourselves: how could this have happened?", Rutte said.

 

"In all, we did too little. Not enough protection, not enough help, not enough recognition."

 

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Frances Kerry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-27

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About 75 years late but good just the same we must rember and guard against geniocide in all its horrible ways

An offensive post has been removed.

 

An off topic trolling post has been removed. 

A decision made in the Netherlands decades before the Nazi invasion had tragic consequences.

 

The Dutch government required a house registration with the names, date of birth and religion of all residents to be kept by each local authority.

 

A set of data that was used by the Nazis to hunt Jews in the NL.

who really knows the history ?   the big german big chemical / pharma company in that time, demanded SLAVES to make products for them .... this is how concentration & death camps were about ...   big chemical pharma also produced the ZYKLON B gas to kill them off !

 

During World War II, Bayer was part of a consortium called IG Farben that made the Zyklon B pesticide used in Adolf Hitler's gas chambers.

 

look up who invented zyklon B (google it)

 

Fritz Haber: Jewish chemist whose work led to Zyklon B. It has been claimed that as many as two out of five humans on the planet today owe their existence to the discoveries made by one brilliant German chemist

 

 

Edited January 27, 20206 yr by justin case

6 minutes ago, justin case said:

who really knows the history ?   the big german big chemical / pharma company in that time, demanded SLAVES to make products for them .... this is how concentration & death camps were about ...   big chemical pharma also produced the ZYKLON B gas to kill them off !

No ! not really the fault of the chemical companies as much it is not the fault of german automakers that were used by the Nazis, and it doesn't take millions to die just to test a product on human guinea pigs dose it now?...

9 minutes ago, ezzra said:

No ! not really the fault of the chemical companies as much it is not the fault of german automakers that were used by the Nazis, and it doesn't take millions to die just to test a product on human guinea pigs dose it now?...

how much do you really know

 

IG Farben trial

• "the planning, preparation, initiation, and waging of wars of aggression and invasions of other countries;
• "committing war crimes and crimes against humanity through the plunder and spoliation of public and private property in countries and territories that came under German occupation;
• "committing war crimes and crimes against humanity through participating in the enslavement and deportation for slave labor of civilians from German-occupied territories and of German nationals;
• "participation by defendants Christian Schneider, Heinrich Buetefisch, and Erich von der Heyde in the SS, a recently-declared criminal organization; and
• "participation in a common plan or conspiracy to commit crimes against peace".^[67][14]

Edited January 27, 20206 yr by justin case

Off-topic post and reply reported and removed.  

 

These horrible crimes commited by the german Nazis should never be forgotten . Right !

 

The crimes commited by the americans in Vietnam and Laos should not be forgotten either .

The crimes commited by the israelis against the palestineneans should not be forgotten either .

The crimes commited by the russians in their many wars should not be forgotten either .

The crimes commited by Burma against the Ronhingya should not be forgotten either .

The list is endless ...

 

Here is a list of wars after the WW II - too many to past it here ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars:_1945–1989

 

Edited January 27, 20206 yr by nobodysfriend

Stop apologizing for "mistakes" you have not made, it sounds false and inappropriate!
The real murderers who continue today, are our dear American "friends" and their Israeli allies!
I never heard an apology from one of them!

1 hour ago, 30la said:

Stop apologizing for "mistakes" you have not made, it sounds false and inappropriate!
The real murderers who continue today, are our dear American "friends" and their Israeli allies!
I never heard an apology from one of them!

 

You do realize the Americans were an important part of the Allies that fought and made sacrifices to beat the Nazis; and that the greatest number of people murdered by the Nazis were Jews?

1 hour ago, 30la said:

The real murderers who continue today, are our dear American "friends" and their Israeli allies!
I never heard an apology from one of them!

30la;

 

I am not proud of some of the USA activities around the world.  However, the post ignores the humanitarian aid, and disaster relief that the USA does.  Name one major country, the UK, Russia, France, Italy, Spain China, Japan etc that does not have actions in its past that were less than admirable. One thing is for sure, if evil such as Nazi Germany ever again reels its head, the world will immediately look the the USA to defend them. 

 

Edited January 27, 20206 yr by Thomas J

11 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

30la;

 

I am not proud of some of the USA activities around the world.  However, the post ignores the humanitarian aid, and disaster relief that the USA does.  Name one major country, the UK, Russia, France, Italy, Spain China, Japan etc that does not have actions in its past that were less than admirable. One thing is for sure, if evil such as Nazi Germany ever again reels its head, the world will immediately look the the USA to defend them. 

 

Actually, the USA helped Saddam Hussein procure the raw materials to make poison gas. And then dismissed allegations that he had used it despite overwhelming evidence. 

It seems as though the Dutch Prime Minister is trying to do a noble thing. Why oh why can't America apologize to the African Americans that were enslaved for hundreds of years? Slaves who helped build America. Why?

Name me one country that doesn't have some kind of ghosts in their past.  Remember history goes back along way 

There should be an apology for Szbreniza also where Dutch UN troops declined to fight to protect the people and 8000 men were slaughtered

 

9 hours ago, jingjai9 said:

It seems as though the Dutch Prime Minister is trying to do a noble thing. Why oh why can't America apologize to the African Americans that were enslaved for hundreds of years? Slaves who helped build America. Why?

https://wethoughttheywerewhite.tumblr.com

 

https://www.amren.com/videos/2019/09/did-slavery-make-america-rich/

8 hours ago, BTB1977 said:

Name me one country that doesn't have some kind of ghosts in their past.  Remember history goes back along way 

Thailand

7 hours ago, sattahip said:

There should be an apology for Szbreniza also where Dutch UN troops declined to fight to protect the people and 8000 men were slaughtered

 

The Dutch opted to stayed neutral and declined to fight. They rather protect then attack.

 

But in history the Dutch made a miserable mistake in Srebrenica.

Three Muslim men were sent away from the ground of the Dutchbat, they sought refugee/protection.

Outside the compound they were taken and slaughtered by the Bosnian Serbs.

 

Salient detail, two of the mens were brother and father of an interpreter for the Dutchbat and one men was electrician at the compound.

Dutchbat went too far to being 'neutral'

 

The Dutch government apologized and gave financial compensation to the family of those men, after the case being years in the court.