SNCB advised to apologise for its role in Holocaust deportations

Belgian railway operator SNCB is being advised by an official panel set up as part of a historical study to apologise for its role in facilitating deportations to death camps during the second world war.

Documents show that SNCB received nearly 51 million Belgian francs in the 1940s to deport Jews, Gypsies, members of the Resistance and forced labourers to Auschwitz.

“In terms of recognising the victims, SNCB must not only express regret but also present an official apology for the role played by Belgian railways at the time in organising the deportation rail convoys,” reads one of the recommendations from the group, led by legal expert Françoise Tulkens.

SNCB is also invited to implement various remembrance initiatives and to organise an official day of remembrance to recall the tragedy of the deportations, for example by an announcement in stations.

A recommendation has also been made to the federal government and all public administrations and bodies to include the moral dilemmas faced by the people involved at the time in the training of managers, civil servants, judges, police and military personnel.

“It's a question that's more topical than ever,” Tulkens stressed during a presentation of the group’s recommendations.

While the panel said it was committed to reparation, it has not called for compensation for the victims, 80 years after the events.

For its part, SNCB welcomed the report and its recommendations.