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The Trial of Klaus Barbie

I study the history of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, so I decided to visit le Centre d'Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation, located in the political science university of Lyon. I was interested in Lyon’s relationship with gender roles during Nazi occupation of France. My dad and I decided to go to the museum and since I have been there once before I worked to think more critically about gendered propaganda as well as gendered treatment in Lyon as well as in the testimonies of those who witnessed the crimes of Klaus Barbie and what they mean for Lyon today.  

Nazi ideals maintained the importance of separate spheres in a most radical and inhumane way. The museum highlights how under the rule of Vichy, working was the most important thing for the people of France. Men worked hard outside of the home; many in war or doing other types of labor. Women were expected to stay at home and work on having a successful family to support Nazi ideals of the Aryan race. Women were valued solely for reproduction, as seen in this Nazi propaganda poster of Mothers Day in which we see a group of children hiding behind a door to a room containing a mother caring for an infant. Women were celebrated solely for their reproductive purposes.

Walking into the first exhibit you are shown a wall of movie posters, showing the mass number of media created surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. Many of these movies are well known and several come from countries outside of France. The vast number of posters gives museum visitors a perspective of how serious this event was. This is the same room containing a small movie theater where you can watch the Trial of Klaus Barbie.

 

I recommend going to this museum so you can watch the 45-minute Trial of Klaus Barbie. Watch this film before going through the rest of the museum, because as you walk through the museum, you will find more information about several French people, Jewish or in the resistance, who faced Barbie. It is difficult to watch; old men and women who can barely walk at the point of the 1987 trial recall the horrors they faced and break down crying after explained horrendous crimes against humanity just for Barbie to defend himself by claiming that they were at war so everything he did was necessary. Hearing Barbie defend himself for the murder of school children, for the assault of women and mothers, and the immense physical and mental abuse that affected survivors 40 years later. Listening to testimonies made the Holocaust seem much more recent, more real, and even more of a nightmare. I suggest that after completing this film, you take some time to think about the treatment of the resistance and to reflect on the possible reasons why the museum decided to show the trial. This film is graphic, and definitely not for all audiences, so why show it in the first place? This was not an easy film to watch. It goes into detail about Barbie’s crimes, including physical and psychological torture, sexual assault, and more. But these are the reasons why it is important for us to watch this film; to face the past so we can remind ourselves of the Holocaust. These are real actions that real people experienced, and avoiding brutality encourages this behavior. The main point I took out of this film was how these stories need to be shared. We owe everything to the victims, who fought against all odds and all of the trauma to get their stories out, so the least we can do put in the effort and use critical thinking to understand the stages which led us to these events. In this age of Holocaust Denial and the revision and censorship of history, it is vital that we educate ourselves and others about what so many people were confronted with because of Nazism. Below is a museum exhibit explaining the trial.

Although the trial itself does not handle the subject of queerness, it is important to note that Barbie’s trial took place in the Palais de Justice in Lyon, which holds the statue of The Weight of Oneself. This sculpture is of a man holding another man, which happens to be himself. When you reflect upon the symbolism of the statue as it sits outside the courthouse and create connections with the importance of Barbie’s trial and our responsibility to humanity for holding accountability not only for Barbie but also for ourselves to maintain an education on these events. I find the placement of this statue to be very unique, and completely on purpose. It is no mere coincidence that this statue was placed in the same vicinity of Barbie's trial. The statue forces you to reflect on your own complicity. It reminds you that you must take action if you do not want the continuation of Nazism in France; we cannot have a repeat of a dictatorship which worked to destroy cultures.

Going to the resistance museum for the first time helped me think critically about how Nazism had an affect on France. Going the second time and watching Barbie's trial reminded me of just how inhumane and real Nazi occupation was.

Tara Gibbs

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