Assurance of a welcome to the Jews of Belgium who were forced to flee during the German occupation was given today by Deputy Prime Minister De Schryver.
“The government has repeatedly made it known that expropriated property will be restored, and the first steps in this direction are already being taken,” the Belgian statesman said. “Obviously, in many instances great complications will have to be resolved. Where it is a simple question of a house, we are on firm ground. But where businesses have been sold under pressure, there will arise questions as to whether the purchases were made in good faith, and the most careful processes will have to be followed. We shall make every effort to see that the loss to the original owners is justly amended.”
As to the question of repatriation, the Deputy Prime Minister indicated that there would be no difficulties placed in the way of Jews who had resided in the country before the refugee exodus brought on by Hitler. “Those who were here before the Hitler period can be regarded as residents,” he stated. “But during the Hitler refugee period, it became clear that we could not hope to assimilate the tens of thousands who were forced to flee, and it was understood that we would permit them into the country while they sought visas and transportation to the Americas and other regions.” There are at present 6,000 Jewish refugees from the Reich in liberated Belgium.
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