Six million Jews died – how can the odd one or two Masons compare with that?
No one denies that the majority of those who suffered during the Holocaust were the Jews (because of their religion) and the Poles (because of their nationality) but the United Kingdom Government in establishing Holocaust Memorial Day did so to recognise all groups who were targets of the Nazi regime. Whilst there is annecdotal evidence that Freemasons were tortured and executed simply because they were Freemasons they were a small percentage of the total German population. Conservative estimates calculate that at least 80,000 Freemasons died. It is impossible to arrive at a total figure as no one knows the number of Freemasons from occupied countries who were murdered. The figure of 80,000 is therefore a ‘guestimate’ for the total figure across occupied Europe.
