The French state and a private Franco-German foundation on Thursday signed an agreement paving the way for compensation payments to some 5,800 surviving World War II forced-labor victims from the Alsace-Lorraine region. A convention was signed by French Minister of State for War Veterans Jean-Marie Bockel and the Foundation for German-French Understanding in Strasbourg on Thursday, July 17. It creates a fund of 4.6 million euros ($2.9 million) from which the compensation payments will be made. Beneficiaries are to be those survivors from the Alsace-Lorraine region who were forced to work for the Nazi German wartime authorities during the Second World War. The fund will be financed in equal shares by the French state and the foundation. The compensation would amount to about 800 euros per surviving victim. Most of the survivors today are women over the age of 80.
A convention was signed by French Minister of State for War Veterans Jean-Marie Bockel and the Foundation for German-French Understanding in Strasbourg on Thursday, July 17. It creates a fund of 4.6 million euros ($2.9 million) from which the compensation payments will be made.
Beneficiaries are to be those survivors from the Alsace-Lorraine region who were forced to work for the Nazi German wartime authorities during the Second World War. The fund will be financed in equal shares by the French state and the foundation.
The compensation would amount to about 800 euros per surviving victim. Most of the survivors today are women over the age of 80.
Really, this too little too late stuff we go in for these days is getting a bit insulting.
It's a bit like Maille. This should have been done 30 years ago, when it could have consoled the survivors. Now it's just an insult.
For many of Maillé's survivors, the result of the inquiry is immaterial. There is a sense that it is too little, too late. "Frankly, I think the Germans' investigation is a bit of an afterthought," she said. "... This should all have happened a long time ago. Why didn't they bother about us then, when it happened? Why didn't they care?"
"Frankly, I think the Germans' investigation is a bit of an afterthought," she said. "... This should all have happened a long time ago. Why didn't they bother about us then, when it happened? Why didn't they care?"
Like the non-existent compensation for Rom/Sinti survivors of the Holocaust. Even the jewish survivors opposed them getting anything. Now, everybody seems to recognise the Rom holocaust. But, of course, the records are lost and everybody conveniently dead so who cares ? keep to the Fen Causeway
Like the non-existent compensation for Rom/Sinti survivors of the Holocaust. Even the jewish survivors opposed them getting anything. Now, everybody seems to recognise the Rom holocaust.
:Now, everybody seems to recognize the Rom holocaust" seems like good enough reason to me for the continuous bubbling of this info. The forced slavery of the Alsace/Lorraine civilians was news to me until recently (thanks Melanchthon) and it popped into the news recently.
Too little too late is true, but taking away even a smattering of the mystery and self-doubt that the survivors feel can be valuable, and repeatedly taking away the ability of the nay-sayers to recycle their BS is valuable for the society at large. Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.
Frank Delaney ~ Ireland
