Dutch name 400K+ supposed Nazi supporters

Another on the list of “government findings we’re not going to tell you for a very long time” . This time, it is the list of supposed collaborators in the Netherlands during the Nazi years, kept classified until this New Year.

The records, consisting of 32 million pages, include about 425,000 mostly Dutch people who were investigated for collaboration with German occupiers during World War II.

The law restricting public access expired yesterday (note – 12/31 – ed.).

Although the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects personal data, it does not apply to those who have died – the vast majority of those listed in the archive.

It should be noted that only about a fifth of those noted actually went to court, and most were accused of lesser offenses, like belonging to the Nazi Party. But it helps show an ugly truth, that there were collaborators in every occupied country.

Initially, scanned files are to made available online, giving users access to dossiers of suspects, their victims and witnesses.

However, following a warning from the Dutch Data Protection Authority, a decision was taken last month to postpone the full release and instead publish only the list of names.  RTE

It’s understandable that confidential info can be buried in the dossiers, but in releasing ONLY the bare info  the chance that someone with an extremely minor complaint (for all we know, something of the level of “that teacher only gave my precious a C instead of an A because they’re a Nazi” maybe?) against them could be stigmatized. It’s a tricky set of choices to make if you think about it.

But concerns are mounting that the move could reignite old tensions and stigmatise individuals linked to the dark history of Dutch collaboration.

The registry reveals personal details, including names and even addresses, as well as references to police and court cases against the individuals.

It also provides file numbers indicating what crimes the accused were charged with, though the contents of the files remain offline.

Critics have argued that publishing names without full context risks unfairly stigmatising families and communities.

According to a survey by public broadcaster NOS, one in five Dutch citizens would prefer not to see descendants of collaborators in public office, such as mayors or parliamentarians.

The study also revealed that many children and grandchildren of alleged collaborators continue to suffer from the weight of their family history. The Telegraph

On the one hand, I sympathize with the families who certainly don’t want to be penalized today for something their great-grandfather may have done. (How many people, without checking, can even NAME all their great grandparents?) But, the partial release is almost a “damned if you do \ damned if you don’t” of kind of action.

There is, however, one certainty in the whole mess: George Soros’ name should not appear. He’s Hungarian.

Category: WWII