Lecture by Hans de Vries

Hans de Vries

On July 20, 2011 the Dutch historian Hans de Vries gave a lecture entitled “Forgotten Victims”. He characterized those former concentration camp prisoners as “forgotten” who were consigned to oblivion after the war, and still are today, for example the so-called asocials and professional criminals. Hans de Vries explains this taboo in Dutch society as resulting from how public opinion was largely shaped by former resistance fighters. The Netherlands defines itself as a nation that resisted and a victim society. De Vries calls upon memorial sites and research institutes to break through this selective collective memory and add hitherto “forgotten” victim groups.