Forgotten victims: The tragic history of the professional criminals in the concentration camp
Forgotten victims: The tragic history of the professional criminals in the concentration camp
The dark past of the Nazi era has many tragic fates, of which fate was affected several times in the occupied Luxembourg. The focus on these ignored stories is made possible by the exhibition "Forgotten Victim of the Nazi regime in Luxembourg", which is shown in the Escher Resistance Museum. This initiative looks at the often overlooked life stories of people who were pursued under the Nazi regime as "professional criminals".
Historically, the devaluation of repetition offenders goes back to the 19th century when criminologists and lawyers often ascribed a threat to poorer sections of the population. These clichés led to the creation of the term "professional criminal", whereby people who have become criminal several times were abate as hopelessly criminal. Such people were permanently classified as unresolved and often locked away forever.The judicial system during the German occupation
The crew of Luxembourg brought a thorough redesign of the judicial system. The German occupiers introduced their laws without always required a special regulation. On April 2, 1942, for example, the "preventive fight against crime" officially came into force, which enabled the police to put people without a judgment as "preventive".
dishes issued strict judgments against multiple criminals classified as dangerously. A worrying example are the brothers Josef and Heinrich D’ Incau from Düdelingen, who received several years of prison for "war -related darkening". Similarly, people were sentenced to death by the special court due to a stressful criminal record.
professional criminal in the concentration camp system
The persecution occasionally ended in concentration camps, where up to 20 Luxembourgers were detained as "professional criminals". These people often came from social classes that didn't enjoy much education. Their criminal records ranged from burglary and stealing to more serious crimes. One of the most famous cases is that of Matthias Bermes. He was arrested for treason and despite his political motives as a "professional criminal" deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Each of these prisoners was often exposed to catastrophic conditions in the camp and experienced cruelty that many of them did not survive. Half of the more than 20 Luxemburger registered as "professional criminals" died in the camps.
In today's culture of remembrance, a negative image of the "professional criminal" is often drawn. One point of view shows the sadistic Kapo, which as a functional prisoner harassed others, while many simply suffered from the horrendous conditions. The post -war in particular shaped the narrative of the former political prisoners, who represented the "professional criminal" as brutal and inhuman, which further made social processing more difficult.
Despite the years of silence, the “professional criminals” in Germany, which were pursued in the Nazi regime, were recognized as official victims in 2020. However, there is no similar recognition in Luxembourg. This makes it clear how complex and challenging the topic is, because many of these victims are not typical heroes or martyrs, but people who are lost in an unjust system.
The exhibition is accompanied by a pedagogical catalog and can still be seen in the "Musée National de la Résistance et des Droits Humain" in Esch until December 22, 2024. A round table discussion on this complex topic will take place on October 8, 2023 at 7.30 p.m. in the museum, where historians will discuss the uncomfortable aspects of history.
For further information on these topics, see the current reports on www.tablatt.lu .
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