Success Heesters has a price

"There at the mill, that beautiful mill..." Operetta-singer Johannes Heesters (104) sings his last song on the stage of theatre De Flint in the Dutch town Amersfoort. The audience of 800 people joins in massively and gives Heesters a long lasting standing ovation. 'Auf Wiedersehen', resounds as the curtains fall. Outside the venue around 50 antifascists, united in the committee 'Heesters Raus!', protest against the 'rehabilitation' of the operetta-singer. They carry placards with texts like 'My grandparent was also in Dachau' and 'The singing nazi'. Heesters might be popular in Germany, in the Netherlands he is controversial.

It's Saturday 16 February, the day the high-aged singer will perform in Amersfoort. Through the massive presence of national and international press, the Hugh amount of police and security officers it becomes clear that a big controversy around the character of Heesters has arisen in the Netherlands. The committee 'Heesters Raus!' announced to disturb the concert by singing protest songs in the theatre dressed in the Dachau concentration camp prisoners uniform. Theatre De Flint, in a bid to have s smooth performance and to avoid the protests, set up draconian rules as copying of passports of the audience, strip-searching and detection gates.

Neonazi's
Some neonazi's and ultra rightists were using the commotion surrounding Heesters performance to show their faces. At the fascist forum Stormfront they spoke already in December 2007 about attacking the protestors and the racist Gabbers of the forum Holland Hardcore distribute leaflets against the 'Heesters Raus!' committee. At the evening itself 8 neonazi's are arrested when trying to disturb the protest.

Visiting Dachau

Unclear

Movie
In Nazi-Germany all forms of art were levelled and put under the authority of the Minister for Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. During the war Heesters performed together with a Jewish theatre group in Amsterdam and The Hague. Via de UFA-movie studio's, also under authority of Goebbels, the singer had to ask permission for the tour. He got it, but later Goebbels realised that Heesters worked together with Jews. As punishment Heesters got a temporary ban to work for UFA. In December 1942 however Heesters, thinking about his career, wrote a letter to Goebbels requesting him to let him work more for the movie industry. Heesters signed his letter with 'Heil Hitler', a routine ending of letters in Nazi-Germany when corresponding with authorities. Heesters never performed in propaganda movies, it were the so-called 'Durchhalte' movies where he played his part. Main goal of these movies was to entertain the audience and lead them away from the harsh reality of war. In Nazi-Germany, as well as in the Netherlands, these movies were very popular.

Blood
Heesters was not a member of the NSDAP, nor was he member of the Reichskulturkammer. He didn't propagate National Socialism during his career and he refused to perform in the Netherlands during the occupation. Nor is there any propaganda to be seen in the movies Heesters acted. In a reaction to the commotion in the Netherlands Heesters writes an open letter on his website: (...) "Whatever I did during 1933 and 1945, I can't blame myself for anything, also not after consulting my conscience. (...)" The committee 'Heesters Raus!' thinks different about this: "It doesn't matter if you were sympathiser or that you took part in propaganda. You have blood on your hands".

Career

John Postma, editor the Dutch antifascist magazine Alert!