大象传媒

In 1938, I joined the International Brigades, who fought in Spain against fascism; I felt very close to that country, and I learned to speak the language fluently. In 1939, we were defeated, and forced to cross the border into France. Along with some 400.000 Spanish refugees, I landed in an Internation camp in southern France. In 1940, the Germans invaded France, and most of the Spanish refugees joined the French Resistance, fighting the invader.

In 1943, I began working with a Spanish group of the French Resistance and was entrusted with what was called "TRAVAIL ANTINAZI", which meant trying to convince soldiers of the Wehrmacht that Hitler's war was lost.

At Riomomrantin, a small town in Central France, I managed to enter a Wehrmacht barracks - as a carpenter with false Spanish papers - and distribute anti nazi leaflets among the soldiers. The mission was extremely dangerous - Gestapo spies were everywhere - but my luck held out. Actually, I succeeded to form a small group of soldiers of Austrian origin, who were fed up with military drill and disillusioned by the War. However, my efforts bore no fruit, they dared not desert, and left along with their unit, when they retreated. For them, this meant another nine months of war, risking death and captivity.

Shortly later,one morning in July, 1944, we heared gun fire coming closer. This time, it was the welcome approach of the Allied Forces, The last of the German troops had gone. There was a short intermezzo with a group of SS, wwho had just ravaged a neighbouring village, however, they passed by and there was no further violence.

We woke up - and no trace of the Germans was left. The nightmare which had begun on the 15th June, 1940, with the breakdown of the French Army and the four years occupation of France - had ended! No more Feldgendar- merie, no more SS patrooling the Streets, ruthlessly killing people or forcing them into slave-labour in Germany, no more Gestapo. no more Swastikas on public buildings!

WE HAD SURVIVED! WE WERE FREE!

But then came the aftermath.

I learned that my brother had died, thirty years old, in March, 1942, in the horrible Camp of Gross Rosen, where prisoners were forced to work in a granite quarry (summer and winter, inadequately fed and clothed).
My mother had disappeared on the transport to Auschwitz. Hundreds of my comrades, who had fought in Spain against Franco, passed years in Dachau or other Nazi camps. Thousands of Spanish republicans languished in Mauthausen and other Camps, a majority
did not survive hunger and ill-treatment.

Liberation meant for me the end of these sufferings; I can hardly express what gratitude we felt - and I still feel towards those English and American youngsters, who offered their lives in this battle against Hitler.

But out hopes for a peaceful world - a world of tolerance and solidarity - were bitterly deceieved. Endless is the list of bloody wars which have ravaged the world since then,
and all were made for Profit and Power.

Actually, the war against Hitler was the last war to be justified. Woever compares later dictatorships with Nazism, has not understood what unique aberration of humanity Nazism was - and how close we were to the end of human civilization. It is not admissible to justify those wars which have occurred in the past decades with WWII, with the war against Hitler.

Yes, to-day TERRORISM is a threat to mankind. But is waging war a solution? I think not. The wars since 1945 have not made the world safer, nor more peaceful. Quite the contrary - in fact, bombing of cities like Tripolis, Panama, Belgrade and Baghdad has only increased the hatred and aroused more violence.

In my opinion, Terrorism must be fought by overcoming Injustice,Intolerance and Exploitation and by giving the millions of needy a chance to live without hunger and poverty - and, by respecting their way of life.

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