Oskar Groening was working as a German soldier in Auschwitz, a nazi death camp during world war II. He was responsible for inspecting bags and suitcases from the deportees arriving to the camp (most of them where Jews and gassed within hours after their arrival). He had to take anything that was worth something like money, jewelry... 300,000 Jews died while he was serving as a soldier in that German camp
The issue is that Groening's trial is just beginning and he is already 93. Some people are saying that it would be inhuman to put a 93-year-old who did not directly kill people in jail for the rest of his life nowadays. The others think he should be punished for what he has done in the past. He maybe wasn't in charge of the mass killings that took place 70 years ago but was still participating and didn't do anything to stop them. They think he had a very easy life after the war and was never worried about anything.
Groening said that he was part of it because he was scared and would have been killed for refusing to obey to the orders, claiming that he was no more than a "cog".
What do you think about it? Do you think he should go to jail for the rest of life or do you think he should keep living his life? why?
Do you think that not saying anything during these kind of events is being part of it? Do you think knowing about them and not fighting to help the Jews makes you part of them?
Replies
Interesting topic!
I think this man should be let free. People don't realize that in Nazi Germany, if you didn't obey or conform to rules, you were killed. I don't think this man has committed any sort of crime, but was in the wrong country at the wrong time period.
I don't think he should be punished because it happened so long ago and probably pushed to do this during the war.
I think he should be punished for what he did yes. I think it does because by not doing anything, you are allowing it to happen which is just as bad as helping.
For someone who's family members actually did die in the Holocaust, I think that he should be imprisoned for his crimes. It doesn't matter if he had no part in rounding up the Jews and massacring them by thousands; he was still apart of the Nazi party and believed what they did. And if he had an easy life and didn't even feel sorry for what happened then he should defiantly be punished. Why are people are saying it is inhumane to imprison or kill a 93 year old man for what he did 70 years ago? I think the inhumane thing here was the mass murder of innocent people. This man here is not innocent.
I thnk that he should just finish off his life because hes old and ganna die soon anyways either way plus it was 70 years ago and is now just getting in trouble they should have done it when he was younger and not at the almost end of his life
I think they should let it go and if he wasn't directly killing the people then he shouldn't have to be put in jail. It was 70 years ago I think they should let it go.
I think he should be imprisoned due to the fact that he did partake in this atrocity therefore he should face the time. Just because he didn't kill them doesn't mean he didn't assist therefore I think that makes him part of it.
yes! on one hand he was part of it. Some guards were helping Jews to get out but he was just stealing money and jewelry and didn't try to help anyone. On the other he would have been killed if somebody caught him. Tough decision
I think they need to let it go. I think he knows what happened and he has been and had guilt for how long.
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