Three Antisemitic Paper Labels – Volksverwering (“People’s Defense”), a Brutal Antisemitic Organization. Belgium, Early 1940s.
These three antisemitic paper labels were produced by the Volksverwering (“People’s Defense”) organization, a Belgian nationalist group active in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The labels depict a red skull on a black background with hateful slogans against Jews: DEHORS LES JUIF and DE JODEN BUITEN (“Jews Out!”), with the organization’s symbol, Othala, in the lower left corner, encircled. The Othala rune is an ancient Germanic symbol used in several European countries. The Nazis adopted this symbol for use by two SS divisions, and it was subsequently used by antisemitic groups, including Volksverwering (Known in French as “La Défense du Peuple”), whose headquarters were in Antwerp, Belgium.
The organization was founded by René Lambrichts in 1937 with the stated goal of expelling all Jews from society. The organization declared: “Jews are a group of parasites infected with hereditary shame, baseness, and immorality, whose influence must be completely shattered. They must be expelled from our people and their control over the world destroyed forever.” In addition to distributing labels like these, they used intimidation and threats. Members of the organization sent mourning notices and threats to Jews, as well as travel tickets reading “Straight to Palestine and never to return.” In 1938 and 1939, Jewish refugees fleeing the Anschluss and Kristallnacht in Austria and Germany arrived in Belgium, leading to a rise in antisemitism and pro-German sentiment. This boosted support for Volksverwering, which organized a screening of the German propaganda film Der Ewige Jude (“The Eternal Jew”) in Antwerp in August 1939. The screening was followed by the “Antwerp Pogrom, ” where the rabbi’s house was destroyed and several synagogues were set on fire. Starting in June 1942, they systematically persecuted Jews—actively seeking out Jews in hiding, extorting them first and then reporting them to the Nazi authorities. Members of this brutal organization were also known for their presence during raids and their shocking violence.
According to German sources, in 1941, the organization had approximately 1,000 members, most of whom were Flemish and concentrated in the Antwerp area, with branches in Brussels, Liège, and other cities.
See also Holocaust Museum in Washington, Record No. 184.684.2.
Three labels of identical size: approximately 6.5×5.5 cm. Very good condition.
