Last week marked the 80th anniversary of the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. The trial and subsequent execution of these two Italian immigrants remains controversial today, and back then sparked huge protests around the world. It is estimated that more than 50 million people took part in protests both in the US and abroad. The case was closely followed by writers and political activists in Germany. In April of 1927 Kurt Tucholsky sent a letter to the American ambassador. I don’t believe it has ever been translated into English, so I’ve taken the liberty of translating it The German original can be found here.
Your Excellency:
It is my honor to present you with the following:
As is well-known in political circles, the Supreme Court in Boston has refused to take up the case of the workers Sacco and Vanzetti, so there is now nothing in the way of carrying out the death penalty. As the publisher of a weekly magazine that for years has stood for freedom and justice, I would like to make you aware that a large segment of intellectuals and members of the working class strongly protest the planned executions of these two men. In doing so, I in no way want to interfere in the domestic politics of the United States. But as a part of a nation that is very familiar with errors of justice and much worse I just ask you to consider how the reputation of a nation – including the United States – can be damaged by such events. Even if Sacco and Venzetti did commit crimes that are punishable under American law – which judging by the quality of the witness testimonies and the commentary of the American press was not the case – my friends and I believe that they have suffered long enough under the fear of death and that should more than compensate for their actions. I would respectfully like your Excellency to be aware that the sympathies of all politically active and engaged Germans are completely on the side of the accused. This violation of the most basic human rights must be corrected; the very least that we expect of the American government is a pardon of both men. We protest in the strongest possible terms the intended execution of Sacco and Vanzetti.
I would like to add that I will be reprinting this protest in the next issue of my magazine.
Respectfully, and with the highest regards to Your Excellency,
Tucholsky
Nick Brauns describes what happened in Germany when word came of the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti:
In den frühen Morgenstunden des 23. August protestierte die KPD mit Agitprop-Lastwagen gegen den Justizmord. Ruhrbergarbeiter hielten Belegschaftsversammlungen in Zechen ab, und die Arbeiter der Mannheimer Benz-Werke traten in einen 15minütigen Streik. In Halle galoppierten berittene Polizisten gegen die Demonstranten. In Leipzig und Hamburg schoß die Polizei in die Menge, es gab Tote und Verletzte. Eine mächtige Trauerkundgebung mit bis zu 150000 Teilnehmern im Berliner Lustgarten, zu der die KPD am 24. August aufgerufen hatte, gehörte zu den größten Massendemonstrationen der Weimarer Republik. (In the early morning hours of 23rd of August the KPD protested with agit-prop trucks against the executions and th travesty of justice. Coal miners in the Ruhr region held spontaneous meetings at the mines, and the workers in the Benz factories in Mannheim went on a 15 minute strike. Policemen on horseback rode into crowds of demonstrators in Halle. In Leipzig and Hamburg the police fired into the crowd, killing and injuring protestors. In Berlin the KPD organized a massive memorial rally of up to 150,000 people in the Lustgarten. It was one of the largest mass demonstrations of the Weimar Republic.)
