Nazi persecution of 'asocials' remembered in Berlin

the black triangle 'asocials' were made to wear in concentration camps

This year the 'Haus der Demokratie und Menschenrechte' here in Berlin has been/are putting on events to do with the persecution of so-called 'asocials'.

Background

The planned murder of the European Jews and the disabled, mentally handicapped and mentally ill can be see, according to Holocaust researcher Christopher Browning, as being one of two parts of the Nazi crusade, the other being the persecution of the so-called 'Gypsies' (Roma and Sinti, in fact) and the 'Asocials', both of whom were seen as 'inferior' beings in the pseudo-scientific view of the Nazis. The crusade as a whole was to have extermination as its key goal.

On January 26th 1938 Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the SS and by then also Chief of the German Police proclaimed the 'action work-shy Reich'. A later directive to come out of the Reich Criminal Police department on Wilhelmstrasse was to define 'asocial' as meaning those who 'demonstrate behaviour contrary to society (which does not just mean criminal behaviour) which shows that they do not wish to fit into society'. This would mean the arrest of beggars, vagabonds ('Gypsies'), wanton people, alcoholics, the chronically ill, people with sexually transmitted diseases, the imprisoned, people who leave their work 'without good reason' (which included those who went on strike), the 'work-shy' and the unemployed. Over 12,000 were arrested in 1938 by the mostly by the criminal police assisted by the Gestapo, and were put in concentration camps.

Dr. Wolfgang Ayass gave us a lecture in which I asked him why it was that it was the criminal police that arrested them. I would have imagined that the order police (general bobbies) would do it. His answer was that the criminal police were the leading movers of their arrest as their behaviour was labelled as criminal, and also that it was a pre-emptive arrest, in case they do something criminal.

The conditions for the 'asocials' in the concentration camps were worse, in comparison to the 'political' prisoners, in terms of the living and work conditions and treatment meted out to them by the SS guards. Sadly, it was also the case that they suffered prejudice from other prisoners and were therefore less likely to receive help from them. All in all, the death rates of 'asocials' (the 'blacks', owing to their triangle colour) were higher than that of the 'politicals' (the 'reds', likewise) due to what was in effect a policy of extermination. This policy however cannot be compared to the policy of exterminating the Jews, not just to the massive difference in numbers, but also as 'asocials' were dying through work ('Vernichtung durch Arbeit' and conditions, not through mass executions and gas chambers.

In comparison to other victim groups we have little information about how many 'asocials' were arrested and how many died. In total it is estimated that over 20,000 'asocials' were put into concentration camps and 'work-houses' and of those an estimated 10,000 died.

After 1945

Dr. Sven Korzilius imformed us at another lecture of the persecution of what the German Democratic Government (GRD, otherwise known as East Germany) termed as 'asocial' and 'parasites'. Thousands faced arrest as from 1948 in the Soviet sector and, over the years that were to come, the same people persecuted by the Nazis were being targeted by the Communists. As some fellow listeners were very quick to point out however, it was not the same as what the Nazis were doing as the Communists did not have a policy of extermination.

As it was, it would not be until the 1980's before 'asocials' were recognised as a victim group by governmental authorities, academics and the public. The reason was as follows:

groups like 'asocials, criminals and homosexuals were still classified as being criminal after the war, and after their liberation from concentration camps. Many were put back into prisons. This led to a lack of sympathy for them, which was not the case with other groups (though even with then it took decades).

It was only through the efforts, not of an international campaign, not of a TV programme or film, not of a governmental institution, but of care workers themselves working with such people. Homeless and alcoholic care organisations began to do research of their own accord to relate their work to the Nazi past. It was the same with psychiatric care units and carers for the disabled and mentally handicapped. It is only through them that we are able to know about this past now.

This is also shown through access to survivors of this time. Now of course there are a lot less of them in comparison to Jewish survivors, but is also the case that shame was attached to their stays in concentration camps, or even their labelling as being 'asocial'. There are very few biographies written of them, and the ones that I do know about are written by those whose reasons for being homeless or being a wayfarer was that they were mentally ill.

This is also why, even now, that little information is known about the 'greens', the criminals in the concentration camps. Now, many 'reds' are not sympathetic to them as they were often made to be 'Kapos' (prisoners in charge of other prisoners) and many stories exist of them being brutal and murdering prisoners, but it is my view that it would be good to know more about them. 'Asocials' and homosexuals are now not regarded as being criminal. Criminals, however, are. (yes, I am aware that the person is more than their criminality, but I am using the concentration camp definitions here).

East German defensiveness

As I said, some people were quick to point out that the GDR regime did not do what the Nazis did. In my view former GDR people are very sensitive to criticisms of what was done in their country, especially when the people doing the criticism are old members of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). I did learn though that the emphasis given to work in the socialist system meant that those not working were persecuted. Indeed, as a friend of mine says, they were put into prison. An influence here is Stalinism, which included the persecution of the 'enemy within'.

In looking at the GDR persecution of 'asocials' deeper, however, we have to look beyond the Nazis:

Influences on the Nazis

The pseudo-scientific view of the Nazis drew its ideology from Darwin and Henry Goddard's view of 'Eugenics', a view that traits such as alcoholism, criminality, being 'work-shy' and so on were genetic. This led to the later policy of extermination.

However, it has to be said that some of the key people speaking out for the arrest of the 'asocials' and putting them to work (what the Nazis later used as 'Arbeit macht frei') were carers for the homeless themselves. In the 1920's such views were being expressed, and a number of feminists were saying that certain groups of people should be forcibly arrested. I would speculate that this was how a general acceptance of their later arrest by the Nazis would make this possible. In fact the phrase 'by the Nazis' is not totally true, in that not everyone in the criminal police were Nazis.

Conclusion

My point is that the persecution of the 'asocials' is not limited to the Nazis, it was done by the Communist regime in the GDR and had its roots in pre-Nazi Germany. Exclusion of such people is not limited to the past, as we see it in our own countries.

Some of the people who were at the talks are care workers for the homeless and alcoholics themselves. They spoke of the problem that unites all persecution is seeing them as objects, not as subjects. It is not naive to express that the view that 'they' have their own histories and reasons for what is labeled as 'asocial' behaviour. I trust care workers in helping them. My experience from GB is that the work of caring for such people is a holistic, life-long work.

That's enough preaching, though. Just one thing to add: normally the events I go to about the Nazi past are attended by people in smart clothing, educated people, academics and people who I would call middle class. The people in the 'Asocial' events I go to are working class, unemployed, mentally ill, and care workers. That the two don't come together says something, to me.

Thank you for reading to the end of this report! :) If you have any comments post them underneath.