Are World War II Nazi Supporters in Belgium still receiving German Pensions?
- Belgian pensions minister suspects that Belgian ex Nazi collaborators still receive German pensions
- Germany had admitted in 2012 that allowances were provided to 57 Belgians without providing their identities
- A memorial group wants a German-Belgian commission to be set up for smooth exchange of countries
Concerns have developed recently over the fact that Belgian ex Nazi collaborators may still be receiving pensions from the German government. After the war ended in 1945, around 57,000 Belgians were found guilty of being traitorous to their own country. A lot of information and policies of the Belgian resistance force was betrayed in this manner. Movement of Jews in the territories of the Belgian cities was also provided to the Nazis, which facilitated the persecution and eventual death of innocent Jewish communities who had found refuge in Belgium.
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These Belgians were made Germans through a Hitler decree for showing great services to towards the Nazi establishment, and they just like other German military officers, these collaborators were also entitled to pensions.
Daniel Bacqueline at the Belgian House of Representatives. Image Courtesy: bacquelaine.belgium.be
Today, a memorial group has speculated that as many as 2500 collaborators receive tax free payment every month, reports BBC news. In 2012, the German parliament had provided ambiguous statements when asked to comment. It stated that it could not confirm whether 2,500 Belgians were receiving the allowances or not.
However, the Bundestag later admitted that 57 Belgians were indeed receiving German BVG ("Bundesversorgungsgesetz") maintenance payments, but did not mention who these individuals were. These identities could only be revealed after careful examination of individual files, which are handled by regional authorities.
The Memorial Group wants an official Belgian-German commission to be set up, to investigate the pensions and reveal who the recipients are, reports BBC News.
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Belgian victims of the Nazi occupation have demanded that their government get to the bottom of this. Belgian Pensions Minister Daniel Bacquelaine "shares their indignation," his spokeswoman said in response to the victims. It appears a little suspicious that the Germans would hold back information of this day even today.
As of today, Germany provides monthly allowances to 58,932 Jews through the management of Jewish claims conference. This allowance ranges anywhere between $295 and $341 per month.
-by Saurabh Bodas, an intern at NewsGram. Twitter: @saurabhbodas96
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