<![CDATA[Between the 12th and 18th June 1938, a wave of arrests of 'anti-social elements' took place in Nazi Germany. The events provided a horrifying glimpse into the path the Nazi leadership was taking in regards to the elements of society it wished removed. Over the course of the week, thousands were taken into custody with many immediately being sent to the recently created concentration camps. Those targeted by the authorities included Jews, as well as socialists, communists and ethnic Roma and Sinti. Labelled 'Aktion Arbeitsscheue Reich' (Operation Work Shy), the arrests were made by the Reich Criminal Bureau. The ambiguity suggested by the name was reflected in the arrests that were made. In total, some 9,000 people were arrested including the long term unemployed and those considered 'misfits'. The mentally ill as well as alcoholics and drug addicts were also targeted in the crackdown. The rounding up of a thousand Jews also marked the week out as the first time Jews were arrested en masse in Nazi Germany. Several key pieces of legislation had been implemented by the government to facilitate the sudden wave of arrests. The 1935 Nuremberg Law for 'The Protection of German Blood and German Honour' illegalised marriages between Jews and 'citizens of German or kindred blood', and banned sexual relationships between the same groups outside of marriage. With hindsight we can see that it was of course a warning of the increasingly aggressive anti-Semitic legislation taking hold in Germany, and the desire for segregation. In 1936 the scope of the law was broadened again to include Roma and Sinti, helping to further entrench a clear division in German society. The second piece of legislation, one which can be more directly linked to the events in June 1938, was the directive for the "preventive struggle against crime", passed in December 1937. An initially secret piece of legislation, it formed the legal framework to justify 'preventative arrests' without following the usual formal legal processes, and put in place regulations allowing supposed 'repeat offenders' to be sent to concentration camps. Many sources now label the week starting 13th June, 1938, as 'Gypsy Clean Up Week', pointing to the fact that much of the state organised campaign was directed explicitly toward Germany's Roma and Sinti population. Persecution against them had existed in both Imperial and Wiemar Germany, but during the Nazi period it became much more extreme. In 1937, a new decree forced Roma and Sinti to register permanent addresses, with the failure to do so punished with deportation. Ultimately, following the new legislation gave no real benefit to the Roma and Sinti living in Germany. In the countryside especially, Roma and Sinti were rounded up and persecuted or deported to concentration camps, whether they had abided by the new rules or not. If anything, registering addresses with authorities simply made Roma and Sinti men, women and children easier to find. 1938 was the year that persecution and violence against those deemed 'anti-social' escalated dramatically in Nazi Germany, as the government increasingly geared the country towards war and attempted to inspire nationalistic fervour. Between 13th and 18th of June, a wave of arrests made with the flimsiest of justifications gave an ominous warning of the path the country was taking. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user: User:Torinberl]]>
Week of Mass Arrests in Nazi Germany
