Bidspirit auction | KAMPTEGNET - An antisemitic weekly

KAMPTEGNET - An antisemitic weekly published in Denmark as the counterpart of the Nazi “Der Stürmer” - Issue dated May 13, 1943 - KAMPTEGNET - Dansk Ugeblad til Kamp for Sandheden - “The Sign of Struggle - A Danish Weekly for the Struggle for the Truth” - A propaganda weekly from the period of the German occupation of Denmark during World War II, published under a distinctly pro-Nazi influence, and effectively the counterpart of the Nazi “Der Stürmer.” Edited by Aage H. Andersen (leader of the most extreme antisemitic movement in Denmark and a member of the Danish Nazi Party - DNSAP). The newspaper served as a tool for the dissemination of anti-communist and anti-Jewish propaganda. Issue dated May 13, 1943 - one of the final issues of KAMPTEGNET to be published (in May 1943 the newspaper ceased publication permanently). The newspaper, throughout all its articles and pieces without exception, is devoted to wild incitement against the Jews. It is saturated with extreme antisemitic rhetoric characteristic of Nazi propaganda and identical in its messaging to the Nazi “Der Stürmer.” Here as well, at the bottom of the front page, appeared the slogan: “Racial thinking stands above local patriotism” (the slogan that appeared in “Der Stürmer” was “The Jews are our misfortune”). The main headline in red: “Not a single survivor in Copenhagen after Germany’s defeat, says the Soviet Jew Ilya Ehrenburg.” A fearmongering headline intended to portray the Jews and the Communists as planning genocide against the Danes if Germany were to lose the war. At the lower right, under the heading “Enemies of Europe, ” appears a stereotypical antisemitic caricature depicting Jews as rats taking over the globe, accompanied by the antisemitic caption: “Europe should not be ruled by... rats.” The editorial on the front page attacks the moderate currents in Denmark. Beneath it, the newspaper’s contents are presented to the reader: “The Jewish Freemasons, ” “The Soviet Jew Maisky” (a reference to Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador in London), “The Jewish-Bolshevik International, ” “Hidden Jews in Turkey, ” “A Visit to the President of the World, ” “Jewish Crime in New York.” On the inner pages appear extensive antisemitic articles. Thus, a quotation is presented from the words of Adolf Hitler stating that at the end of the war all countries that cooperated with the Jews during the war would collapse; a quotation from the words of Ilya Ehrenburg expressing his expectation that Nazi Germany and Russia would exhaust one another in fierce battles, while meanwhile the English and the Americans would come and assist the Jews. An article titled: “A Visit to the President of the World” attacks the Jews and claims that through the “Freemasons” they are planning to take control of the entire world. Another article calls on the citizens of Denmark to support Nazi Germany, arguing that after it wins the war they will benefit from the rights of this alliance. The article “Secret Jews in Turkey” warns against Jews who outwardly convert their religion but in practice remain Jews. Another article lists the names of senior officials in England who are Jews. An article under the title: “The Influence of the Jews at the Present Time” warns against alliances that Jews forge with influential countries in order to control the entire world through them. In addition, there appears a section titled: “Jewish Crime in New York, ” which claims that a Jewish gang controls New York: “The Jews, especially in New York, have established special gangster associations. They operate under unified leadership according to precisely planned schemes in different parts of the city and share the profits from their organized criminal activity. For the Jews, insurance fraud is a particularly profitable line of work...”. Another article under the title “Business Life” deals with condemnation of well-known Jewish businessmen such as members of the Mayer family, Alfred Horowitz & Co., and others. Another article warns European countries of a wave of Jewish immigration, and more. The weekly Kamptegnet, in addition to being an especially blatant antisemitic newspaper, is notorious for having published lists of Danish Jews and calling for their persecution during the war years. The name of the newspaper alludes to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf (“My Struggle” - “The Sign of Struggle”). The newspaper is considered one of the darkest and most extreme publications in the history of Denmark. It served as a virulent antisemitic propaganda mouthpiece whose purpose was to prepare the ground for the persecution of Danish Jewry. The newspaper began operating just before the outbreak of World War II in May 1939 and continued throughout the years of the German occupation of Denmark until May 1943. It was shut down in May 1943, a few months before the rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943, mainly due to legal proceedings and libel suits against its editors,