PEOPLE/OPINIONS/COLUMNISTS
By Semra Eren-Nijhar
A couple
of months ago (October 2013), another big company in Germany revealed their
family firm's past links to Germany
For many people the news came as a shock and they took to the media to express
their opinion and disbelief about the giant food company, whose food products include Pizza Ristorante and the Dr Oetker home baking range, and its connection to the
Nazis.
I am only surprised why people in Germany Germany
In the long interview in Die Zeit, August
Oetker told of his father Rudolf-August Oetker, who was a member of the Nazi
Party. He had been mentored and encouraged to take up the Nazi ideology by his
step-father, Richard Kaselowsky. Kaselowsky had taken over the family business
of his best friend, Dr. Rudolf Oetker when he died during the battle of Verdun Bielefeld
Kaselowsky was a great admirer and a "leading supporter" of
Adolf Hitler, making large financial donations to Heinrich Himmler, leader of
the SS organisation. Rudolf-August Oetker followed in his step-father’s
footsteps and volunteered for Hitler’s SS in 1941.
Rudolf-August Oetker never spoke to his family about his Nazi past and he
refused the opportunity to reconcile his company with its past. His son August
Oetker being different to his father wanted to bring everything out into the
open. For this he commissioned researchers and a team of historians led by
Andreas Wirsching of the University
of Munich
As historian Joachim Scholtyseck states, no company was really clean
during World War II. Chairman August Oetker knew sooner or later the company
would have to confront its past, so it was better to do it themselves and
exercise control over it. And for that I think it is important to acknowledge his
actions, as it was never going to be an easy journey digging into the
disturbing, upsetting and horrifying past of the company and the family.
Russell Brand should look closer to home before he lectures others
August Oetker has merged his companies with other German firms who have come
clean on their close ties with the Nazis, some begrudgingly many years after
the end of World War II. Last year, comedian Russell Brand criticised German
fashion house Hugo Boss for making uniforms for Hitler's regime as he received his
GQ Men of the Year Award, which was sponsored by Boss. Hugo Boss apologised for
its Nazi ties and finally admitted the designer had made uniforms for Hitler's
soldiers. Siegfried Boss said, “Yes of
course my father belonged to the Nazi Party”.
That “yes” indicates everything: perhaps with a small exception, no German
or no German company could have continued to operate until today if they had not
supported the Nazis. The majority of its multi-national corporations survived because
they were a part of the machinery of Nazi ideology and apparatus.
However, Russell Brand’s efforts to criticise and to try and make a
political point were ineffective for me. He had the option not to attend the GQ
awards ceremony and moreover, perhaps Brand should look closer to home before
he lectures others.
A few history lessons on British colonialism will reveal all the
companies which were set up during the time of Empire, who not only exploited
the labour force, but also other nation’s cultures, resources and people. Many of today’s multi-billion pound British corporations,
such as Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, P&O and various merchant banks, are
among those who served and worked for the British Empire.
Dr.Oetker
should show even greater moral responsibility and support the anti-racist,
anti-fascist activities in Germany
Lessons from history should be learned so our horrific past is not repeated.
I strongly believe it is the duty of major corporations such as Dr.Oetker, who
made their money during Germany’s Nazi era, building their company into a huge commercial
success, to show even greater moral responsibility and support the anti-racist,
anti-fascist activities in Germany so they
can effectively challenge the ultra-right-wing National Democratic Party (NDP),
which is regaining support across the country.
The recent
killings of Turks, Germany Germany
The increase
in anti-Semitic and racist attacks against people and property in Germany
Active
involvement in today’s anti-Nazi movement by companies such as Dr.Oetker can have
a profound and positive impact. It will prove that they are sincere in opening
up their archives and past involvement with the Nazis, and learning from their
past. Otherwise chairman August Oetker’s actions will be little more than a PR
exercise, adding to one of millions of history texts that already exist about Nazi
Germany.
Semra Eren-Nijhar is an author, sociologist, documentary film maker and policy consultant on diversity, migration, Turkish people living in Europe and the Executive Director of SUNCUT.
