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JEWS EXPELLED.

BY DANZIG NAZIS. BECOME "STATELESS." DEPRIVED OF CITIZENSHIP. (By Air Mail.) DANZIG, March 8. The whole contingent of nearly 500 Danzig Jews who'left the Nazified Free City for Constanza, on the Black Sea, this week have been deprived of their citizenship. They became "Stateless" the moment their charabancs and lorries passed out of Danzig territory. Many of them possessed valid Danzig passports, but the Nazi authorities, invoking a law which deprives Danzigers abroad of their citizenship if they are considered "politically unreliable" or "enemies of the State," have dealt them a parting blow by taking away their nationality. By this means foreign countries will be unable to force Danzig to readmit any of their transported Jews if they are refused entry elsewhere. The Danzig Nazis are already planning to send another contingent of 500 Jews off somewhere. At the same time severe pressure is being put on the Jews here to induce them to join in the "transport plan" and leave a city where hate against them is fiercer than in almost any town in Greater Germany. The only thing to mar Nazi delight at the Jews' departure was tjlie unwelcome presence of foreign consuls and journalists who gathered to watch them leave. Already at four o'clock the departing Jews had assembled with 300 relatives on the cobbles of Schaeferei Street.

Among them continuously moved, uniformed police and secret agents. Drawn up on either side of the street were five charabancs and seven motor lorries with two trailers.

The Jews stood massed under tlie pools of light spread by the street lamps. They spoke to each other in low tones as they said good-bye to those they are leaving behind. Plain clothes secret police stood hv to spot anybody who was neither a Nazi official %or Jew. Every Jew wore a metal plaque on the coat lapel with a number stamped on it. At 4.30 a.m. the secret police, enraged that the "Jew transport" secret had leaked out, began to round up spectators. In groups of two and three they walked up to each unwanted person and asked him what his business was. A foreign consul presented tlieni with his diplomatic credentials. The secret police Ft ad to allow him to remain. Then they ordered two Danzig Press photographers to leave at once. They were forbidden to take any pictures. Shortly -afterwards two British journalists were arrested. The procedure of arrest was much the same in both cases. The secret police walked up, said: "We suspect you of smuggling foreign currency. Come with us at once." In answer to protests they replied: "Your offence may be very serious indeed. We must take you to headquarters for examination." At headquarters the police agents, to sustain their accusations, demanded a detailed account of how they came to be in Danzig. The chief feature of the cross-examination was their insinuation that they were already found guilty cf smuggling currency. They were reluctantly released eleven hours later— spectators who saw what they were not meant to see. Meantime ig» Schaeferei Street a Xazi official with a megaphone started to shepherd the Jews into their motor buses and lorries. As he called their names each Jew said "Here" and then stepped into his place. At 6.17 the first of the five charabancs moved off. These were followed by the seven lorries full. Friends and relatives called softly "good-bye, good luck," and waved their handkerchiefs. Those leaving waved back to them through their windows. At two minutes past eight the last of the transport left in six large taxicabs which had been requisitioned at the last moment. The 300 Jews left behind turned to go home, the women- with their handkerchiefs to their eves. Xazi officials cried cheer- . fully: * "Well, that's that, anyhow, what a good job!"

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19390403.2.37

Bibliographic details

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 78, 3 April 1939, Page 7

Word Count
633

JEWS EXPELLED. Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 78, 3 April 1939, Page 7

JEWS EXPELLED. Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 78, 3 April 1939, Page 7