A report by a Group of Wise concluded that the Nazis paid the SNCB/NMBS to deport 25,843 Jews and 351 Roma from Belgium to concentration and extermination camps.
A Goup of Wise has recommended that the Belgian national railway SNCB/NMBS company apologize for the rôle it played in the deportations of Jews to death camps during the Second World War.
The 12-person group was set up by the federal government in the wake of a historical study. Documents show that the SNCB received nearly 51 million Belgian francs in the 1940s in the form of a tax credit.
“As far as recognition of the victims is concerned, the SNCB must not only express regret, but also present an official apology for the role played by Belgian Railways at the time in organizing the deportation rail convoys,” stated one of the recommendations of the group headed by legal expert Françoise Tulkens.
The company is also invited to implement various memorial initiatives and to organize a day of remembrance to recall the tragedy of the deportations, for example by means of an announcement in train stations.
A recommendation is also made to the federal government and all public administrations and bodies to integrate the moral dilemmas faced by the actors of the time into the training of managers, civil servants, magistrates, police and military personnel. “It’s a question that’s more topical than ever”, Tulkens said as she presented the report “The Belgian Railways and the deportations during the Second World War” to the Belgian Senate’s committee on institutional affairs in Parliament.
A monitoring committee must be established to monitor the implementation and impact of these recommendations.
The research by the Ggroup shows that the lessons from this history remain relevant. The danger of a creeping undermining of democracy and the constitutional state, as happened through seemingly small bureaucratic decisions, remains a current warning. The cooperation of the SNCBB/NMBS In the deportations illustrates how institutions can morally fail under ideological pressure.
The Group calls for a broader commitment to combating anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance. Not only the federal government, but also other levels of government and the private sector must be involved.
While the Group is committed to reparation, it has not asked for compensation for the victims, 80 years after the events.
In a reaction to the Group’s research and recommendations, Michael Freilich, the only Jewish member of the Belgian Parliament and a special envoy to the European Jewish Association, said: “It is praiseworthy that this historical research has finally been completed, albeit many years overdue. For too long, too little attention was paid to the role of the Belgian railways during the Second World War. This report brings crucial new facts to light and reminds us that we must learn from the past.”
But recognition is not enough, he added. ‘’ The government must accept its responsibility and take concrete action, as the report proposes. It calls for tangible initiatives, such as education and commemoration projects, and more support for surviving victims and their families.((
Freilich advocates confiscating the money used to pay for the deportations as it is now known that the Nazis paid the Belgian railways to deport 25,843 Jews and 351 Roma from Belgium to concentration and extermination camps.
‘’This amount – equivalent to around 15 million euros today – should be confiscated by the state, as is usually the case with funds obtained through criminal activity,’’ he said.
‘’This would send an important message to the survivors and the families of the victims. These funds could then be used to fight racism, anti-Semitism and current threats against the Jewish community. In this way, we can ensure that the lessons of the past are effectively translated into policy,’’ Freilich concluded.