Office of the Public Prosecutor of Brussels

Collection

Holding institution (official language):: Amsab - Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis

Scope and content:: The archival material in this fonds was most likely produced by the judicial police attached to the parket van de procureur des Konings of Brussels. It contains correspondence, reports, reports of interrogations, trial documents, publications, documentation (press clippings, periodicals), notes and documents confiscated from militants, related to the origins of the Belgian communist party but especially concerning the trial against the party leadership in the context of the so-called ‘communist plot’ of 1923. Some of the documents concern i.a. Romanian and Russian emigrants. A number of files contain information on the activity of Jewish militants, including the known Dutch diamond workers Abraham Soep and Saul (Paul) De Groot. See nos. 1, 38, 44, 51, 55, 56 and 57 (years 1920-1937). We also note, in no. 134, reports and documentation i.a. concerning the ‘Jewish’ influence in the communist party, and antisemitism (1920-1922).

Archival history:: Many archives from Belgium were confiscated by the occupier and transported to Berlin. They were later taken to Moscow by the Red Army, where they were rediscovered in 1992. This fonds consists of a selection of archival material made by the Amsab-ISG researchers. The originals were returned to Belgium in the early 2000s, and are probably located in the collections of the Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis.

Subject terms:: Antisemitism; Communism; Jewish political activity; Law enforcement; Law enforcement--Police

Finding aids:: R. de Coninck, Parket van de Procureur des Konings te Brussel, Gent, Amsab-ISG.