International

Nazi victims demand compensation from Deutsche Bahn

12.01.2010 06:29

The two largest organizations representing victims of the Nazi Third Reich are demanding financial compensation and support be paid to former concentration camp inmates by Deutsche Bahn (DB) railway.

They base their claim on the fact that the wartime Reichsbahn railway had made profits on Nazi transports of captives destined for death camps and forced labor in Germany. The present Deutsche Bahn was created directly from the company assets of its World War Two predecessor, they argue.

“Deutsche Bahn (DB) is planning to make money in Poland by entering the Polish railway market, but German railways already earned a lot during the occupation of Poland. So we want DB to pay compensations to former concentration camps prisoners and forced labourers,” says Stanislaw Zalewski from the victims of the Nazi Third Reich organization.

A German organization, Train of Remembrance, estimates that during World War Two German Reichsbahn earned the equivalent of half a billion euro from the Nazi ordered transport of Polish captives.

Prisoners and labourers were transported in cattle-trucks in severe conditions. “It was a gruesome practice and I hope that German railways will finally satisfy their victims,” says Hans-Rudiger from Train of Remembrance.

Only 7,000 former Polish captives who belong to the Nazi victims’ organizations are still alive. In 1995, there were 25,000 of them. “We don’t expect high levels of compensation, we just need money for health care, medicines and heating,” says Stanislaw Zalewski.

If no agreement is reached with Deutsche Bahn the company may face court class actions on behalf of thousands of victims, or even millions of their family descendents.

Deutsche Bahn claims that it is not the wartime successor of Reichsbahn but a different company in its own right . However, the German railway company was founded from Reichsbahn’s assets and this year will celebrate the 175^th anniversary of its creation, on which it is planning to devote several dozen millions euro. (ss/mg)

Source: Rzeczpospolita

Comments: 10 Add new comment

Wilhelm

13/01/2010 00:08:54

Idiots.May be all these bogus "Nazi victims" and "camp survivors" finally should start working instead of parasiting on hardworking German taxpayers?

I would like to receive a compensation from the government of Mongolia for mongol horde killing my ancestors in Central Europe 1000 years ago.If they refuse to pay I will sue them and so ad absurdum...

Maciej Skiba

13/01/2010 00:33:40

Are you feeling alright Wilhelm, all the victims of the Mongolian hordes are dead, while the survivors of the Holocaust are not. I must also point out, its much worse that Germany has a politician like Steinbach who didn't want to recognize Polish borders and who also leads an organization that wants compensation from Poland than Polish Holocaust victims asking for some help from a company that made money from their suffering. With all that said and done we need to all move on, however the anger you display towards these victims who do have a rational complaint is disgusting.

Maciej Skiba

13/01/2010 01:27:41

Clearly these people weren't parasites when they had to do hard labour in concentration camps.

Jim

13/01/2010 05:37:14

I really don't see how any monetary compensation can make up for being enslaved and forced to do hard labor for several years. Its not as if the Nazis are still in control of the German railway. Nor is it as if the Germans deny any guilt associated with the war. I see no injustice other than that which was committed seventy years ago by a government which no longer exists and by people who are dead and gone. So why must Deutsche Bahn be punished? If this is such an important issue, why wasn't it dealt with at the end of the war when all the perpetrators were still alive? With the publicity that these cases get it isn't very surprising. I'm sure lawyers will be getting their names in the paper with posthumous convictions against Nazis some day soon.

Leszek

13/01/2010 08:50:24

It's a difficult matter with justice going both ways. I think that anyone who suggests that these victims (who were not compensated) deserve nothing from a company that made profits from Nazi atrocities is showing some sort of moral blindspot: the company made profits from immoral actions and, consequently, has a moral obligation to compensate those whose suffering made the company profits possible.

On the other hand, the shareholders of a company in 2010 are being asked to fork up money for actions that they didn't take.

This is a conundrum but I think the greater morality lies with the compensation - if you choose to buy shares in a company that earned profits through these actions, then you should expect to pay compensation.

Leszek

13/01/2010 08:52:32

No amount of money will ever compensate. My mother lost 2 children; money will never make up for this.

However, does the fact that money will never make it better mean that people like my mother should be denied monetary compensation? A flawed argument, I would think.

Janusz P

13/01/2010 16:45:35

The fact that Deutsche Bahn is celebrating its 175th anniversay says it all. That public act means that it is also admitting responsibility for acts of Reichsbahn. The fact of the matter is Deutsche Bahn recieved the old company's assets intact. Therefore the people who were victimized have a claim on those received assets because they were not afforded the oppurtunity to ask for that money when the new company got the assets.
How much did Deutsche Bahn get at that time ? Is the present value at least 500 million euros? Its a well established rule that the proceeds of ill gotten gains should be returned. If Deutshe Bahn had any moral scruples they would set up a charity fund in that amount to help needy people in general not necessarily just the Holocaust victims in tribute to their 175th anniversay.

Pioro

13/01/2010 18:13:41

I think it is in DB best interest to either compensate directly or as Janusz suggested set up a charity fund. These poor souls that suffered so much aren't asking for too much (i assume) and will most likely be a tiny amount for a giant like DB.

Plus it will give the company good PR that they are entering the Polish rail market (which sorely needs a company like DB) on the right foot.

Wilhelm? That is like an extinct German name except for some really old people maybe. Its like how many Poles do you know named Mieczyslaw or Boguslaw? Sounds like it was posted by a Pole trying to instigate this forum. When will the hate end?

Joe

14/01/2010 03:45:46

I don't think it was a Pole Pioro who wrote that comment. Not a German either. This forum is filled with British wankers, so if I had to guess it was a Brit.

vince

20/02/2010 11:55:04

I agree that any company that profited from atrocities of the Nazi era should have been made to pay compensation to its victims. However why have the Polish survivors of the holocaust waited 65years to seek compensation? DB is a monster that is swallowing up vast areas of the European Rail network, so it is not short of money.They should at least, for good PR set up a fund for the surviving soles, to give them good health care in their final years.

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