Then & Now | Resistance against Nazi tyranny was a shining example of moral courage – and of the dangers of publicly expressing truths
- The recent death of the last member of a resistance group in Nazi Germany is a reminder of the bravery of these non-violent dissidents and of their sacrifice
- Their only ‘crime’ was to print what everyone knew to be true about a tyrannical regime; a ‘national security’ judge sentenced ringleaders to a swift death
History has taught us the bitter lesson that speaking truth to power does not often come without profound, far-reaching consequences.
In rapidly changing, febrile times, journalistic commentary on contemporary affairs that incorporates historical, political or literary analogies to help illustrate the writer’s particular viewpoints can suddenly cross real or imaginary, so-called red lines.
Social or political commentaries that were – only a short time before – too mainstream for serious concern then risked dire repercussions for anyone daring, or foolish, enough to publicly express them.
Traute Lafrenz, who recently died aged 103, was the last surviving member of the World War II White Rose resistance group. Their heroic resistance against Nazi tyranny remains a shining example of transcendent moral courage, and the willingness of brave individuals to speak the truth, in the face of overwhelming personal danger.
Non-violent, intellectual dissidents in wartime Munich, the core White Rose group comprised five university students and one professor, Kurt Huber.
