“Danube 2023” controversy – Russian bus massacred

– I was a little quick on the trigger and changed my mind. At the time of my statement, I hadn’t seen the photo yet. Of course, it’s not about making fun of the victims, Ervin Kohn, head of Det Mosaiske Trossamfund, tells Dagbladet.

In a widely shared article in the magazine Subject this week Kohn gives the “tasteless and historyless” judgment on the choice of the name of Kongsvinger’s Russian bus “Donau 2023”. Now he has turned away.

It has been turned down

The German Warship SD «Donau» it is remembered in Norwegian history mainly as the ship that in November 1942 transported 532 Jews to the continent and to the extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only 9 of them returned alive.

The vessel also carried Norwegian students to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1944, as well as Soviet POWs who were used as slave labor by the occupying German power.

The Kongsvinger bus has a color drawn logo where “Danube” explodes and with the date 16.1.45. A man with a backpack, a Norwegian flag and a bottle of beer celebrates in the foreground.

The manager of Vigrid is indicted again

‘Donau’ was blown up by the Norwegian resistance movement on this date, sailing out of the Oslofjord with 1,500 German soldiers on board. The forces were to participate in the final battles for the homeland and sabotage was to prevent this. The action is depicted in the blockbuster film “Max Manus” (2008).

– Do not change!

In the comments section of Subjekt’s Facebook article, members of the bus defended the name, invoking “tremendous respect for history” and saying the purpose is to honor the resistance movement, in part because they participated many of the great-grandparents.

– Now we see later that it was a vague and misunderstood name. This is why we have postponed the change of name, writes one of them.

“Donau 2023”, like other buses, still has to change its name in the spring. But now it’s happening on schedule, probably in March, rather than speeding up the process because of the reactions.

Kohn is now strongly urging Russebussen not to change his name.

– No, that would be completely wrong. Now that they’ve drawn attention to the bus, they have to use it for what it’s worth. Now they have to read up on history and do something positive for fellow Russians, he says and elaborates:

– We learned that Max Manus and his gang sank the “Danube” in 1945 – but not everyone has heard of it. Therefore, they should rather spend resources teaching it to others than changing the name of the bus.

He has understanding

The head of the Jewish congregation understands that the name of the bus can provoke reactions.

– We have just left behind the 80th anniversary of the voyage of the “Danube” with the Jews, and the associations with the vessel are very present in our minds. But when you see the bus and the photo, you understand not the deportations of the Jews as the first association, he stresses.

The Danube is one of the most important rivers in Europe, and today the German navy has a ship with the same name, which visited Norway a few years ago.

– I thought it was a little meaner, notes Kohn.

– Very relieved

Adrian Høglund at “Donau 2023” is relieved and happy that Kohn has now turned the tables.

– I’ve been in the trenches

– Are you saying that now? It’s very beautiful, Høglund tells Dagbladet.

– Did you imagine that the name could be misunderstood?

– We may have done so and were ready to parry the criticism – but when it came, we weren’t so prepared after all.

– “Donau 2023” is a rather unusual name for a Russian bus. How did you come up with it?

– Someone on the bus suggested it. He is interested in history and has a family linked to the resistance movement and war. There was a thought behind it.

– Not welcome

– Have you had any other reactions?

– Someone DMed us on Instagram and a person our age from Oslo wrote that we weren’t welcome there during the Russian period. But we explained the situation then he apologized and said everything was fine.

Guri Hjeltnes, director of the HL center, also expressed his criticisms of the choice of name towards Subjekt. Like Kohn, he’s changed his mind.

– Now I’ve seen the logo, and that changes things. I still think it’s a bit insensitive considering the 80th anniversary of the great deportations of the Jews. But I accept that young people take the turn they have here, Hjeltnes tells Dagbladet.