What German Victims?

From the desk of The Brussels Journal on Mon, 2007-11-26 15:31

A quote from Expatica, 25 November 2007

A memorial to the millions of Germans expelled from Eastern Europe at the close of World War II has fallen prey to inter-departmental wrangling and is likely to be delayed, the newspaper Die Welt reported Saturday. The government has committed itself to a "visible symbol" to mark the sufferings of up to 15 million ethnic Germans expelled as the war ended, but there has been vocal opposition from Poland and the Czech Republic, from where many were forced out. Die Welt said the Finance Ministry was unhappy with the site chosen, while the Foreign Office was insisting on the close involvement of Poland and the Czech Republic. The Foreign Office is reported to be against using the term "German victims."

Some victims, indeed

Submitted by marcfrans on Tue, 2007-11-27 04:54.

If one of your great-grandfathers moved "nach Osten", and you find yourself born somewhere, where you grow up, and then later get expelled in your adulthood to take the road "nach Westen", then indeed.....you are a victim of bad decisions by some people in the past (possibly, maybe probably) as well as by some people in the present (for certain).  It can then be truly said that these people in the present do not treat you like a human being, but rather as an expendable object. And it is on their conscience (assuming they have a 'developed' conscience).   

Remnants of Ostsiedlung

Submitted by Kapitein Andre on Tue, 2007-11-27 04:40.

These German 'victims' were descended from medieval German settlers encouraged by Baltic and Slavic principalities and kingdoms to emigrate to their territories, migrating as far as Transylvania. However, not all of this settlement was benign, as the activities of German monastic against pagan Balto-Slavic tribes indicates. Moreover, this process gave way to Drang nach Osten i.e. deliberate colonization and Germanization. Indeed, the German presence on West Slavic territory is as illegitimate and contrary to the principle of national self-determination as the Magyar minority in Transylvania. 'What' German 'victims' indeed...

About German Victims of Stalinism

Submitted by Sceadugengan on Mon, 2007-11-26 23:13.

When the accountants of death, be they Poles or Germans, haggle over 15 or 10 million dead Germans or 6 or 4 million dead Jews ...

... makes me wanna spit!

How many dead did world communism cause? The displaced and killed Germans are part of that number!

About German victims of German policy

Submitted by Monarchist on Mon, 2007-11-26 16:28.

As a Pole I have no doubt that many from those people were indeed innocent victims. However the German goverment should abandon to talk about 15 millions of victims, there were plenty of Nazi criminals among them.They should not try to estimate exact number of real victims because this is impossible. They should also name those innocent to be "victims of GERMAN Nazi policy". Thus their sufferings should be recompensed by German goverment.