Today is May 5th, Liberation Day in Holland. Back in 1945, the forces of Nazi Germany surrendered at Wageningen, ending five years of brutal and ruthless occupation. The Reichskommissar, leader of the occupation, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, was chiefly responsible for the establishment of a system of terror, the shooting of hostages, extortion, and the mass deportation of the great majority of Dutch Jews (approximately 120,000 people), mostly to Auschwitz. He was tried and executed as a war criminal at Nuremberg. His henchman, Anton Mussert, was also executed. The director of the Dutch central bank, Meinoud Rost van Tonningen, died in prison after jumping off a high balcony. His widow, who died in 2007, maintains he was pushed. She lived only half a mile from where I grew up, and would continue to espouse her late husband's ideology by posting neo-nazi promotional materials to people in the vicinity.
I list these names of infamy in Dutch history lest we forget. They are not widely known beyond the Netherlands. However odious their ideology and deeds, their names should be remembered as a warning. The ideology is still around.
Yes, it most certainly is!
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