SNCB is called upon to apologize for its role in deportations during the Second World War, according to the recommendations of a group of experts.
The SNCB must apologize for the role that the Belgian railways played in deportations to the death camps during the Second World War, recommends a group of wise people set up in the wake of a historical study.
Between 1942 and 1944, the SNCB deported more than 25,000 Jews and Gypsies. And during the German occupation, it received more than 50 million Belgian francs from Germany, reveals a study completed at the end of 2023 by the Center for the Study of War and Society “Cegesoma”. A group of various personalities was set up to follow up on the report.
“Regarding the recognition of the victims, the SNCB must not only express regret but also present an official apology for the role played by the Belgian Railways of the time in the organization of the deportation rail convoys”sets out one of the recommendations of the group led by the lawyer, emeritus professor at UCL, Françoise Tulkens.
The railway company is also invited to implement various memorial initiatives and to organize a day of remembrance in order to remember the tragedy of the deportations, for example by an announcement in the stations. She herself made several proposals, including an exhibition at the “Train World” museum and the development of educational packages for young people.
A recommendation is also aimed at the federal government and all public administrations and organizations in order to integrate into the training of managers, civil servants, magistrates, police and soldiers the moral dilemmas which the actors of the time were confronted with.
-“It’s a more topical question than ever”underlined Friday Ms. Tulkens during a presentation to the Senate. “We were struck from the start by the fact that it was the right moment, with what we are currently seeing, the signs of decline of democracies, attacks on the rule of law. It’s in small steps invisible that this is happening. We must make people attentive and vigilant.”
Regarding the recognition of trauma as well as material and moral reparations, the group asks the government to improve the status of victims. Although he embarked on the path of reparation, he did not, however, ask for compensation from the victims, 80 years after the events.
The group examined the issue by comparing measures taken in the Netherlands and France. There was no additional compensation linked to the amounts received by the railways, affirms the group, which gave its preference to the financing of memorial actions. Compensation has already taken place for the collective role of the Belgian State following the Flahaut law of 2003.
“Compensation is not reparation because it targets the past, it is giving a sum of money to return to a previous situation. Eighty years after the events, it made no sense to “To take this path, almost all the victims have disappeared. We have moved towards reparation that aims for the future.”explained the group.
This choice was not supported by all the wise people. One of them, Sydney Berneman, honorary advisor to the Court of Cassation, refused to approve the report. He explained this in a dissenting opinion which was not published.
The report was submitted on Friday to the Minister of Mobility in Current Affairs, Georges Gilkinet.
sncb second world war deportation wise
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