The Knife Of Inhumanityby Marlon Jesus E. Vasquez |
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I would rather be with God against men than with man against God. - Aristides de Sousa Mendes The condition becomes more critical. More and more innocent Jews, young and old are being killed in Europe. Bombs are dropped everyday. Snipers are all around. Jews are all hunted. They were progressively fenced off from the rest of the population. Some are burned and some are shot. Yes, it was the Holocaust period! It was almost an end for them, but some survived. It was on the month of July 1940 when the long struggling of the French from the aggressive attacks of Nazi has ended. The world was shocked when France fell from the German's hands. Paris had been defeated! The Maginot Line was useless from the superior foreign invader. A puppet French government has been established to Vichy under German's control, but before to their humiliation, thousands of Jews were able to escape! Aristides de Sousa Mendes was born to wealth and Portuguese nobility. He was the Consul General in Boreaux, the City near the Spanish borders. Knowing the possible defeat of the French, the Foreign Ministry of Portugal sent a memorandum to Mendes stopping him to grant visas without the prior permission of the Portugal government. It was specified in the message that Jews were forbidden to have visas that would help them migrate to Portugal, which on that moment, never been invaded by the Germans. Mendes felt guilty on his government's decision. He knew very well that the Nazis were very brutal to the Jews. His hate for inhumanity makes him disobey the Portugal's government. On June 1940, Mendes signed thousands of illicit visas and he even convinced his subordinates to do the same. He knew then that when the Nazi defeated France their first target are the Jews. Because of his measures, thousands of Jews had been rescued from the hostile implementation of Holocaust in France. Though not all Jews had been rescued, it is still indeed, a very altruistic deed that risks his career and his safety. While all this was taking place in France, the Foreign Ministry of Portugal discovered that Jews were allowed to migrate into their country. He right away suspected that Mendes disobeyed the Memo that they sent to him. Immediately after confirming the Foreign minister's insight on Mendes' actions, he sent consuls who would study the matter. Aristides de Sousa Mendes did not denied what he did. Because of that, he was proven guilty for his non-compliance to his state policy. He was displaced from his post as a Consul General and was banned from practising law. When he came back to Portugal due the defeat of France, he was denied to all his benefits and pensions. He was exiled in his own country! His 30 years of service in the Portugal's government had gone for nothing. He was forced by his government to sell his house and possessions. His friends turned numb and did nothing to help him. Because of what happened, his health fails and suffered repeatedly from stroke. He died miserably, alone and forgotten. During his service as a Consul General, Mendes enjoyed many privileges in France. He has everything. He has the power to grant or denied visas to anyone from migrating to his country. He has a stable reputable job and has stable financial resources. Though he almost have everything, he did not reluctantly traded all that he have just to facilitate the Jews who at that time hunted by the Nazis. And as any of his subordinates has expected, he was disrepute from his own government! When one of his friends asked him Why he did that? He proudly said, "Even if am discharged, I can only act as a Christian, as my conscience tells me. If I am disobeying orders, I would rather be with God against men than with man against God." Yes, yes Mendes! You are the Knife of Inhumanity. Knife can be dangerous and can be fatal. Yes, yes Mendes! You are the Knife of Inhumanity. Knife can also protect in times of danger. Yes, yes Mendes you are the Knife of Inhumanity! Rest now in gladness and not in sadness. You will never be forgotten now. |
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