A Nazi who murdered a Jewish tradesman “in the interests of the German people” has been sentenced to death in the Brunswick Criminal Court.
In imposing sentence on Walter Sievers, 28 years old, the court declared that “in Germany no one is above the law. Every man enjoys protection. He who believes that he can give his passions free play is mistaken.”
The judged added: “The German people and its Government reject every kind of political murder as despicable. This was made clear recently at the funeral of Gustloff” (slain Swiss Nazi leader.)
Admitting the murder of the tradesman, Wolf Ziprkowski, Sievers had claimed he shot him in rage after seeing two members of the German Labor Front “inveigled” into buying goods in his shop in violation of the anti-Jewish boycott.
He also said the tradesman had provoked him by replying to his inquiries that the incident was none of his business and by insulting him. He then drew a revolver, which he said he was carrying to the square for target practice, and fired without intending to kill the storekeeper.
The prosecutor shattered his defense by proving he had been seen in front of the store the previous day and that goods were missing from the shop after the murder.
The court said the defendant had committed the crime with full premeditation and that the claim he had been insulted was unbelievable because it was generally known the tradesman had been modest and as a “non-Aryan” would not have dared to utter insulting remarks against the Nazi regime.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
