Hitler is murdering a nation

Camp News, Volume 3, Issue 113, 13 March 1942, Page 4

Hitler is murdering a nation

How Hitler is murdering a nation of 1,500,000 people is told by Dr. Miha Krek, Deputy Premier of Yugoslavia, now in London, who has received information of the terrible plight of the Slovenes. Knowing their independent spirit and that he could not “Germanise” them, Hitler decided to exterminate them. The Germans made their first onslaught on Church and school. The Nazi methods were disgusting. Venerable old priests had to kneel down before youngsters of seventeen or stand with arms outstretched before a picture of Hitler, while the Gestapo spat in their faces or beat them with their fists. The national poet, Mgr. Mesko, an old man, had to clean the streets of his native town with his bare hands. The Dean of Matibor had to clean the lavatory with his own hands. Plans were made for the exportation of 283,000 Slovenes to Serbia and Croatia. At the end of July 60,000 had already been sent away. The Gestapo travelled from, village to village making their “selection”— men and boys to go to Germany for forced labour, girls from 15 to 25 also to Germany. The scenes when the Gestapo came on these “collecting” jobs were appalling. The wailing of the victims at the railway stations was heart-break-ing. The brutality of the parting of the people, especially of the young girls, from their homes is beyond description. So Hitler is murdering a highlycivilised nation in the midst of Europe in the twentieth century!