PUT ON A PAPER-CLIP ON YOUR CLOTHERS,
IF YOU ARE AGAINST NAZISM
The Paper-clip of Norwegian resistance
В феврале 1942 года нацистское правительство оккупированной Норвегии издало указ о создании Национального педагогического союза, в который должны были войти все учителя начальных и средних школ. Это должно было гарантировать воспитание подрастающего поколения в духе национал-социализма. Такие действия были следствием директивы Гитлера: «Верните мне норвежцев!» с одной стороны и активным сопротивлением населения страны оккупационным порядкам.
In February of 1942 the Nazi government of occupied Norway issued an order about establishment of National Pedagogic Union, in which participation was obligatory for every teacher of primary and secondary school in the whole country. This had to guarantee upbringing of the new generation supporting ideas of national-socialism. Such actions were on the one hand the consequence of Hitler’s directive “Bring back the Norwegians to me!” and on the other hand the reaction to strong resistance movement to the Nazi policy.
Almost all teachers refused join the Nazi union, because “upbringing of the children according to the Nazi order acts against their conscience”. Then the government started to dismiss and arrest teachers. More then 1300 of them were sent to concentration camps, 500 were sent to labor camps. As response the strike of all educational institutions begun. And ordinary paper-clip became the sign of solidarity with teachers and other participants of those strikes. It has been proposed to put it on for every person who shared the ideas of resistance. As a result of such a strong resistance in the population Nazi government had to change its policy. In October 1942 all arrested teachers were released from custody and the membership in the National Pedagogic Union was not obligatory anymore.
But today resistance is going on!
PUT ON A PAPER-CLIP ON YOUR CLOTHERS, AS A SIGN OF RESISTANCE TO NAZISM!