Those in the Dutch language sphere have probably seen it: https://oorlogvoorderechter.nl/

NB that a name appearing in the database only means there was an investigation. To see the outcome, you need to request insight into the physical archive in Den Haag.

But it's still more open than the last I could find in Belgium, where insight into the archives is permitted on a per-case basis given sufficient motivation. Also VRT wrote in 2023 that digitalisation is still long away, posing a practical problem; even if the rule about consent of all living descendants was lifted.

But do you think priorities and resources will now change? Or maybe when N-VA is no longer in power?

Edit: As far as I understand from one of my links, the relevant documents of the Rijksarchief/Archives de l'État are not kept centrally, but regionally in Arlon, Mons, Eupen, Louvain-la-Neuve, Namur, Tournai, Antwerpen, Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Kortrijk, Leuven, and Liège. Could one of them decide to do it for themselves?

by We-had-a-hedge

12 comments

  1. No, the collaboration is way too intertwined with the flemish movement. The people in power in Flanders don’t want you to know about the past of their families.

  2. Too many people in flemish politics and economy/industry wouldnt like that and will block it.

    Its not black and white for the flemish since the flemish had its own socio-cultural struggles under “french/walloon” bourgeoisie. It was “the end justifies the means” kinda thing regarding the collaborations. Not saying there werent blatant nazi sympathizers tho.

  3. The collaborators were publicly hanged in Brussels on the ‘grote markt’.

    I’ve got a few newspaper snippits from 1941-1942-1944

  4. We had Maurice De Wilde in the 80s, he did a quite a lot of investigative journalism into collaboration. Caught a lot of flak for it from almost the entire political spectrum. Even annoyed the King if I recall well.

  5. Digitalisation is a long way. Is a lie, if you want it could already be finished. Ever saw the automated machines you can request through EU subsidies ? 500 pages/hour can be scanned

  7. My grandfather did an investigation into his fathers (eastern front fighter) file once in the 70s. He says the archive was at the top of the palace of justice and that there were many Jews investigating stuff there when he was there.

    I was never told the full story of my great-grandfather… there were always things left out… he was imprisoned 4 years after the war and some house arrest.

    So I always assumed those documents were accessible?

  8. I’m not sure we should really, not that I’m trying to defend collaborators, we would spend an insane amount of time and money on a witch hunt for people who are either dead already or very old at this point.

    Many people also collaborated out of fear for their family or out of pure survival. It’s been so long that you cannot possibly make a correct judgement about someone now.

    I don’t mind keeping this information on a request-only basis. Our newspapers would find ways to drag people through the mud simply for having the same last name as a collaborator.

    It won’t help anyone, if you really want to research it, apply for access and with proper motivation, you will be granted access.

  9. Watch “Kinderen van het Verzet” and you’ll learn all about how diminishing the collaboration became the mainstream way of thinking, not even because of VU (who were small post-war) but mainly by CD&V.

  10. More than halve of the NVA and Vlaams Belang families would be affected…nope is not going to happen. Especially because the Van Thillo family would get some flack. Not going to happen.

  11. If you want to gain insights in all archival institutions in Belgium that keep archives on collaboration I can recommend the book “Was opa een nazi?”.

  12. Da ge maar denkt da onze politiekers hun ranzige voorouders’ verleden uit de doeken gaan doen. Hell no. Er staat teveel opt spel

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