Rudolf Hess' grave destroyed.

marcsignal

Just heard about this.

Resting place of one-time Hitler deputy had become subject to neo-Nazi demonstrations; body exhumed, ashes to be scattered at sea.

Article

The remains of Hess, who killed himself at Spandau Prison in West Berlin in 1987 aged 93, were removed at dawn yesterday and are due to be cremated and scattered at sea, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.

Hess was buried according to his wishes in a churchyard in Wunsiedel in Bavaria, southern Germany, where his parents had had a holiday home, with the approval of the local Lutheran church council.

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I remember the controversy over his 'suicide' *cough* in 1987. But the town council in Wunsiedel in Bavaria, got pissed off with people laying flowers and making Hitler salutes at the grave, so they refused to extend the lease.

It gives an indication how seriously the issue is taken in Germany, and the lengths they are prepared to go to, to ensure there is no resurgence in Nazism.

Morlar

Wow. Apparently Rest in Peace doesn't mean what it used to.

Not really a good political development, in my view, to destroy the grave of a historical figure based on current percieved expediency.

marcsignal

Happened yesterday (anniversary of the 1944 Bomb Plot) in the early hours.

Nothing on the BBC yet.

iMax

Why are they wasteing money cremating him? Why not just drop it in the middle of the ocean (with a breezeblock attached) ?

who the fug

iMax wrote: »

Why are they wasteing money cremating him? Why not just drop it in the middle of the ocean (with a breezeblock attached) ?

Seeing as he has been buried for 24 years, they would need 206 breezeblocks.

Cheaper to cremate

iMax

Fair enough. How much are water soluble bags these days ?

who the fug

iMax wrote: »

Fair enough. How much are water soluble bags these days ?

Depends Size/Colour/Neo Nazi Sect, you will have to be more specific

marcsignal

iMax wrote: »

Why are they wasteing money cremating him? Why not just drop it in the middle of the ocean (with a breezeblock attached) ?

who the fug wrote: »

Seeing as he has been buried for 24 years, they would need 206 breezeblocks.
Cheaper to cremate

iMax wrote: »

Fair enough. How much are water soluble bags these days ?

who the fug wrote: »

Depends Size/Colour/Neo Nazi Sect, you will have to be more specific

Breeze Blocks and Water Soluble Bags not necessary, human bones do not float.

Don Juan DeMagoo

I do find it amusing that some bad persons remains/fossils can cause such a racket. Leave them where they are, by doing these things you are adding mystique to a sad pitiful man. History has already judged him, burning or drowning his bones seems a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

But sure whatever floats your bones boat

Fratton Fred

It seems a bit extreme, but it can't be nice visiting the grave of a loved one to find a bunch of goose stepping morons hanging around.

Morlar

Don Juan DeMagoo wrote: »

Leave them where they are, by doing these things you are adding mystique to a sad pitiful man.

I agree with that part there. 'Rest in Peace'.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

It seems a bit extreme, but it can't be nice visiting the grave of a loved one to find a bunch of goose stepping morons hanging around.

In terms of the scale of this disruption would you say it was every tuesday or say one time a year ? Would you accept there is a difference ?

Also worth noting that the family were on the verge of taking legal action to prevent this happening so it is safe to say it was not their idea or something they willingly supported from the beginning.


When I first read the thread title I thought 'Vandals', then I read the articles and thought, nope the authorities, I think I was right the first time. The only difference - these vandals had a permit. Glad not to live in a country where this can happen. Ireland has it's share of contentious historical figures & the thoughts of strong arming a family into agreeing to the destruction of a family grave on this basis are repugnant. It's like they are trying to erase or whitewash the physical record of their history.

I have no idea if his grave had been a destination of people looking to pay respects ('nazi pilgrimage' as the tabloid would load the sentence), even IF this was the case it is not grounds for destroying a grave in my view. If people want to go to Stalin's or Lenin's grave personally to lay flowers I would not be in favour but I would certainly not call for either of them to be dug up, cremated and ashes thrown into the sea. Bearing in mind hess to the best of my knowledge never actually killed anyone during his election hedge-hopping activities and was completely out maneouvred and sidelined shortly after they took power. Being physically out of the picture even before Barbarossa and before things went bad in the Russia.

ejmaztec

I'm probably uninformed regarding Hess, but on the face of it I could never see why he got banged up for so long. Albert Speer managed to con his way out of being strung up, and was out in time to make money from his memoirs and die of natural causes.

who the fug

marcsignal wrote: »

Breeze Blocks and Water Soluble Bags not necessary, human bones do not float.

yes but the tide / current could wash them up on a beach, could take some explaing if they showed up off Haifa. (He has been know to show

So you need 206 heavy duty weights, just to be sure

marcsignal

who the fug wrote: »

yes but the tide / current could wash them up on a beach, could take some explaing if they showed up off Haifa. (He has been know to show

So you need 206 heavy duty weights, just to be sure

True I suppose. Just make sure you dont snag your tights on a cable tie when you're throwing the weighted bag over the side :pac:


edit:

Another article from Der Spiegel International

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johngalway

He was a Nazi, pity about him.

Mahatma coat

I think the comparisons to Visiting Stalin or Mao's grave is a Valid one.

Supposedly we live in free society, distaseful as it may be to some that people made an anual pilgrimage to Hess' grave, those people Do have that Right.

this is just another example of historic revisionisim.

Ronan|Raven

It is common in Germany for the lease on Graves to not get renewed. A lot of families outside of this instance let leases lapse on Graves.. or simply cannot afford the lease.

Morlar

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

It is common in Germany for the lease on Graves to not get renewed. A lot of families outside of this instance let leases lapse on Graves.. or simply cannot afford the lease.

That is true. However it's not what happened in this case.

losthorizon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgDN7ruPBQ

marcsignal

Fratton Fred wrote: »

It seems a bit extreme, but it can't be nice visiting the grave of a loved one to find a bunch of goose stepping morons hanging around.

losthorizon wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgDN7ruPBQ

I agree Fratton Fred. If I had a grandfather or other relative in the old IRA, I wouldn't like the likes of CIRA turning up at his grave every easter with their flags and ski masks.

The reality of the situation in Germany is something similar from the point of view of former SS people in particular, believe it or not. One man I spoke to actually said to me, in the course of a conversation, that if there was ever a real fourth reich in Germany, that these skinheaded drop-outs, who in most cases dont work, are involved in drug dealing, and football violence in Germany, would be the first up the chimney.

I was more than a little shocked to hear him say it.

Tony EH

ejmaztec wrote: »

I'm probably uninformed regarding Hess, but on the face of it I could never see why he got banged up for so long...

Because he flew to England to try and make peace in 1941. Obviously he had some contacts over there (other than the Duke of Hamilton) and his release could have allowed him to reveal some very sensitve information. Information that perhaps certain quarters did not want revealled.

Einhard

Mahatma coat wrote: »

I think the comparisons to Visiting Stalin or Mao's grave is a Valid one.

Supposedly we live in free society, distaseful as it may be to some that people made an anual pilgrimage to Hess' grave, those people Do have that Right.

this is just another example of historic revisionisim.

Historical revisionism? What do you mean by that? That Hess wasn't a Nazi; that that wasn't a bad thing? I don't understand how this act, whether one agrees with it or not, could be construed as revisionism.

marcsignal

If the exhumation of the graves of controversial figures is the precedent that has been set here, I wonder when the British will be gathering up the ashes of George Bernard Shaw, from his garden, and scattering the remains out of a plane, over the Irish sea ??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBZsTf6oLfY

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