Cologne kidnapping attempt: Klarsfeld's rebellion against Gestapo boss!

Cologne kidnapping attempt: Klarsfeld's rebellion against Gestapo boss!

In the spring of 1971, the activists Serge and Beate Klasfeld tried to kidnap the former Cologne Gestapo boss Kurt Lischka. Against the background of a severe strain on Lischka, this happened due to his role during the Second World War. He was responsible for the deportation of over 75,000 French Jews to Auschwitz. Nevertheless, Lischka lived in Cologne undisturbed until 1980 and earned his livelihood as an authorized signatory in a grain act, while the Federal Republic of Germany rejected the delivery of Lischka, who was already condemned in France.

Despite a clear evidence, criminal consequences for Lischka failed to materialize for a long time. The kidnapping attempt by Beate and Serge Klasfeld, who became known for their hunting for Nazi war criminals in the post-war period, was poorly prepared, which led to passers-by interventions when Lischka called for help. At that moment he navigated the situation with the claim that he was "only a merchant", which the present was obviously not convincing.

support in public and legal changes

After the failed kidnapping attempt, Beate Klasfeld carried out a call on the evening of the incident, in which she confessed to the plan and sharply criticized the impunity of Lischka. This public debate rekindled interest in the crimes of Lischka and led to the Bundestag changed the law that initially granted him impunity. Beate Klasfeld was charged because of her actions for attempted kidnapping, bodily harm, trespassing and property damage. The legal consequences went over five years until Lischka was finally brought to trial in 1979.

Kurt Lischka, born on April 20, 1912 in Wroclaw, had hit a career in the National Socialist state early on. He joined the SS on June 1, 1933 and was promoted to SS Obersturmbannführer in 1942. At times he worked for the Gestapo in Paris and expanded the Gestapozentrale there into an effective instrument for terrorism. These events took place in the context of the National Socialist persecution and the "political cleansing" decided by the Allies after the end of the war.

social and legal processing

The trial against Lischka started on October 23, 1979 and ended on February 11, 1980 with a conviction of ten years of imprisonment, which he served in the Bochum correctional facility. Lischka was released in 1985, then lived with his wife in a retirement home in Brühl and died later.

The lengthy investigations by the Cologne public prosecutor had taken over three and a half years and referred to the deportation of at least 40,000 French Jews. Against the background of post -war justice, which attempted to work on the deeds during National Socialism, these processes must be viewed against the background of post -war justice. By April 1949, around 200 officials of the Third Reich were convicted, whereby the procedures were often shaped by political and social obstacles.

Nowadays, discussions about the crimes committed under National Socialism are of central importance for the German memory discourse. The "True Crime Cologne" podcast takes intensive care of the attempted kidnapping plan and the subsequent court proceedings, and highlights the complex questions of justice and moral responsibility.