Stéphane Hessel
Encyclopedia
Stéphane Frédéric Hessel (born 20 October 1917) is a diplomat, ambassador, writer, concentration camp survivor, former French Resistance
fighter and BCRA
agent. Born German, he became a naturalised French citizen in 1939. He participated in the editing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
of 1948.
to Helen Grund and the German-Jewish writer Franz Hessel
, who inspired the characters of Jules and Kathe in Henri-Pierre Roche
's novel Jules and Jim
. Kathe was called Catherine in the subsequent film adaptation by François Truffaut
. Hessel emigrate
d to Paris
with his parents in 1924. Having received his baccalauréat
(graduated A-level) when 15 years old, he was admitted in 1937 to the École Normale Superieure
. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1939, before being mobilized later that year into the French army in Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole
.
Refusing to adhere to the Vichy government of Marshal Philippe Pétain
, Hessel fled to London
and joined General Charles de Gaulle
's group of Resistance fighters in 1941, returning to France, to organize Resistance communication networks in advance of the 1944 Allied invasion of France. He was captured by the Gestapo
and later deported to the Buchenwald
and Dora concentration camps, where he was torture
d by waterboarding
. Hessel, Forest Yeo-Thomas and Harry Peulevé
escaped execution at Buchenwald through the help of Eugen Kogon
and Alfred Balachowsky
, who exchanged their identities with three prisoners who had died of typhus. Hessel tried unsuccessfully to escape from Dora, but was able to avoid being hanged in reprisal
. He later escaped during a transfer to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
, and went to Hannover, where he met the advancing troops of the United States Army.
in editing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 1962, he created the Association for Training in Africa and Madagascar (AFTAM) and became its first president. In August 1982, Hessel was appointed for three years to the Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle, the French regulatory agency for audio-visual
communication. Hessel continues to hold a diplomatic passport, having been named an "ambassador for life".
He is a member of the French division of the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and is a founding member of the Collegium International
and served as vice president. He was a member of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme
and the Haut Conseil de la coopération internationale.
In 2003, along with other former Resistance fighters, he signed the petition "For a Treaty of a Social Europe" and in August 2006, he was a signatory to an appeal against the Israeli air-strikes in Lebanon. The appeal, made by the French member organization of European Jews for a Just Peace
, was published in Libération
and other French newspapers.
In 2004, he was awarded the North-South Prize
by the Council of Europe
. That same year, he participated in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the National Council of Resistance of 15 March 1944, which urged the younger generations to live by and pass on the legacy of the Resistance and its ideals of economic, social and cultural democracy.
On 14 July 2006, Hessel was made Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur
, having already been given the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
in 1999.
Hessel called for the French government to make funds available to provide housing for the homeless and denounced the French government's failure to comply with Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Place de la Republique
on 21 February 2008.
On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 2008, Hessel received the UNESCO
/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights. Hessel also received the United Nations Association of Spain Peace Prize Award 2008.
On 5 January 2009, Hessel criticized the Israeli military attacks in the Gaza strip
, saying "In fact, the word that applies—that should be applied—is 'war crime
' and even 'crime against humanity
'. But this word must be used carefully, especially when one is in Geneva
, the seat of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who may have an important opinion on that issue. For my part, having visited Gaza, having seen the refugee camps with thousands of children, the manner in which they are bombed appears as a veritable crime against humanity."
(original French
title: Indignez-vous!), was published in an edition
of 6,000 copies (ISBN 978-1455509720 ). It has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into Basque, Catalan, Italian, German. Greek, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Croatian, and Hebrew. Translations into Korean, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish and other languages are planned. In the United States, The Nation magazine's March 7–14, 2011 issue published the entire essay in English.
Hessel's booklet argues that the French need to again become outraged, as were those who participated in the Resistance during World War II. Hessel's reasons for personal outrage include the growing gap between the very rich and the very poor, France's treatment of its illegal immigrants, the need to re-establish a free press
, the need to protect the environment, importance of protecting the French welfare system
, and the plight of Palestinian
s, recommending that people read the September 2009 Goldstone Report. He calls for peaceful and non-violent insurrection.
In 2011, one of the names given to the Spanish protests
against corruption and bipartisan politics was Los Indignados (the outraged), taken from the title of the book's translation there (¡Indignaos!). These protests, in conjunction with the Arab Spring
, later helped to inspire other protests in many countries, including Greece
, UK
, Chile
, Israel, and Occupy Wall Street
which began in New York's financial district
, but has now spread across the United States and numerous other countries. Ongoing protests in Mexico
challenging corruption, drug cartel violence, economic hardship and policies also have been called the Indignados.
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
fighter and BCRA
Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action
The Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action , commonly referred as the BCRA was the World War II-era forerunner of the SDECE, the French intelligence service...
agent. Born German, he became a naturalised French citizen in 1939. He participated in the editing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
of 1948.
Early years
Hessel was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Helen Grund and the German-Jewish writer Franz Hessel
Franz Hessel
Franz Hessel was a German writer and translator.With Walter Benjamin, he produced a German translation of Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu....
, who inspired the characters of Jules and Kathe in Henri-Pierre Roche
Henri-Pierre Roché
Henri-Pierre Roché was a French author who was deeply involved with the artistic avant-garde in Paris and the Dada movement.- Biography :Roché was born in Paris, France. In 1898, he was an art student at the Académie Julian....
's novel Jules and Jim
Jules and Jim
Jules and Jim is a 1962 French film directed by François Truffaut based on Henri-Pierre Roché's 1953 semi-autobiographical novel about his relationship with writer Franz Hessel and his wife, Helen Grund....
. Kathe was called Catherine in the subsequent film adaptation by François Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
. Hessel emigrate
Emigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
d to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with his parents in 1924. Having received his baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
(graduated A-level) when 15 years old, he was admitted in 1937 to the École Normale Superieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1939, before being mobilized later that year into the French army in Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole
Saint-Maixent-l'École
Saint-Maixent-l'École is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.-Geography:Saint-Maixent-l'École is located in the Haut Val de Sèvre area of western France, about from Niort and from La Rochelle...
.
Refusing to adhere to the Vichy government of Marshal Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
, Hessel fled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and joined General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's group of Resistance fighters in 1941, returning to France, to organize Resistance communication networks in advance of the 1944 Allied invasion of France. He was captured by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and later deported to the Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
and Dora concentration camps, where he was torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d by waterboarding
Waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
. Hessel, Forest Yeo-Thomas and Harry Peulevé
Harry Peulevé
Henri Leonard Thomas Peulevé DSO, MC was an agent of the Special Operations Executive , who undertook two missions in occupied France and escaped from Buchenwald concentration camp.-Early life:...
escaped execution at Buchenwald through the help of Eugen Kogon
Eugen Kogon
Eugen Kogon was a historian and a survivor of the Holocaust. A well-known Christian opponent of the Nazi Party, he was arrested more than once and spent six years at Buchenwald concentration camp. Kogon was known in Germany as a journalist, sociologist, political scientist, author and politician...
and Alfred Balachowsky
Alfred Balachowsky
Alfred Serge Balachowsky was a French entomologist born in Russia. He specialised in Homoptera : Coccoidea but also worked on Coleoptera. Balachowsky worked at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle...
, who exchanged their identities with three prisoners who had died of typhus. Hessel tried unsuccessfully to escape from Dora, but was able to avoid being hanged in reprisal
Lagerordnung
The Lagerordnung was the "Disciplinary and Penal Code", first written for Dachau concentration camp, which became the uniform code at all SS concentration camps in the Third Reich on January 1, 1934. Also known as the Strafkatalog , it detailed the regulations for prisoners...
. He later escaped during a transfer to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
, and went to Hannover, where he met the advancing troops of the United States Army.
Human rights advocate, diplomat
After the war, Hessel was involved with Eleanor RooseveltEleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
in editing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 1962, he created the Association for Training in Africa and Madagascar (AFTAM) and became its first president. In August 1982, Hessel was appointed for three years to the Haute Autorité de la communication audiovisuelle, the French regulatory agency for audio-visual
Audio-visual
The term Audio-Visual may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or to equipment used to create and present such works...
communication. Hessel continues to hold a diplomatic passport, having been named an "ambassador for life".
He is a member of the French division of the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and is a founding member of the Collegium International
Collegium International
International Ethical, Scientific and Political Collegium, also called Collegium International is a high-level group created in 2002.-Origin:...
and served as vice president. He was a member of the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme
Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme
The Commission nationale consultative des droits de l'homme is a French governmental organization created in 1947 by an arrêté from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to control the respect of human rights in the country...
and the Haut Conseil de la coopération internationale.
In 2003, along with other former Resistance fighters, he signed the petition "For a Treaty of a Social Europe" and in August 2006, he was a signatory to an appeal against the Israeli air-strikes in Lebanon. The appeal, made by the French member organization of European Jews for a Just Peace
European Jews for a Just Peace
European Jews for a Just Peace is a federation of Jewish groups in ten European countries aimed at bringing about peace in the Middle East and ensuring respect for the human rights of the Palestinian people...
, was published in Libération
Libération
Libération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
and other French newspapers.
In 2004, he was awarded the North-South Prize
North-South Prize
The North–South Prize is awarded annually by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe to two public figures who are recognised for their deep commitment, outstanding achievements and hope they have generated in the field of protection of human rights, the defence of pluralist democracy and...
by the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
. That same year, he participated in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the National Council of Resistance of 15 March 1944, which urged the younger generations to live by and pass on the legacy of the Resistance and its ideals of economic, social and cultural democracy.
On 14 July 2006, Hessel was made Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, having already been given the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
in 1999.
Hessel called for the French government to make funds available to provide housing for the homeless and denounced the French government's failure to comply with Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Place de la Republique
Place de la République
The Place de la République is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It is named after the French Republic. The Métro station of République lies beneath the square.-History:...
on 21 February 2008.
On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 2008, Hessel received the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights. Hessel also received the United Nations Association of Spain Peace Prize Award 2008.
On 5 January 2009, Hessel criticized the Israeli military attacks in the Gaza strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, saying "In fact, the word that applies—that should be applied—is 'war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
' and even 'crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
'. But this word must be used carefully, especially when one is in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, the seat of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who may have an important opinion on that issue. For my part, having visited Gaza, having seen the refugee camps with thousands of children, the manner in which they are bombed appears as a veritable crime against humanity."
Time for Outrage!
In October 2010, his essay, Time for Outrage!Time for Outrage!
Time for Outrage! is the English translation of the bestselling tract Indignez-vous ! by the French diplomat, member of the French Resistance and concentration camp survivor Stéphane Hessel...
(original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
title: Indignez-vous!), was published in an edition
Edition (book)
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
of 6,000 copies (ISBN 978-1455509720 ). It has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into Basque, Catalan, Italian, German. Greek, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish, Croatian, and Hebrew. Translations into Korean, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish and other languages are planned. In the United States, The Nation magazine's March 7–14, 2011 issue published the entire essay in English.
Hessel's booklet argues that the French need to again become outraged, as were those who participated in the Resistance during World War II. Hessel's reasons for personal outrage include the growing gap between the very rich and the very poor, France's treatment of its illegal immigrants, the need to re-establish a free press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, the need to protect the environment, importance of protecting the French welfare system
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, and the plight of Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
s, recommending that people read the September 2009 Goldstone Report. He calls for peaceful and non-violent insurrection.
In 2011, one of the names given to the Spanish protests
2011 Spanish protests
The 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
against corruption and bipartisan politics was Los Indignados (the outraged), taken from the title of the book's translation there (¡Indignaos!). These protests, in conjunction with the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
, later helped to inspire other protests in many countries, including Greece
2010–2011 Greek protests
The 2010–2011 Greek protests are an ongoing series of demonstrations and general strikes taking place across Greece. The protests, which began on 5 May 2010, were sparked by plans to cut public spending and raise taxes as austerity measures in exchange for a bail-out, aimed at solving the...
, UK
2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests
The 2011 United Kingdom anti-austerity protests were a series of anti-austerity protests that took place in the United Kingdom in early 2011...
, Chile
2011 Chilean protests
The 2011 Chilean protests,Chilean Winter or Chilean Education Conflict are a series of ongoing student-led protests across Chile, demanding a new framework for education in Chile, including more direct state participation in secondary education and an end to the existence of profit...
, Israel, and Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
which began in New York's financial district
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
, but has now spread across the United States and numerous other countries. Ongoing protests in Mexico
2011 Mexican protests
The 2011 Mexican protests are an ongoing protest movement that began on 28 March 2011 in response to the Mexican Drug War, government and corporate corruption, regressive economic policies, and growing economic inequality and poverty. The protests were called by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia in...
challenging corruption, drug cartel violence, economic hardship and policies also have been called the Indignados.
Publications
- Danse avec le siècle, autobiography. Editors Seuil (1997) , 312pages ISBN : 978-2-02-023556-3
- Ô ma mémoire, la poésie, ma nécessité, poems. Seuil (2006, republished 2010)
- Citoyen du monde, conversations with Jean-Michel Helvig. Fayard (2008)
- Indignez-vous! essay. Indigène, Montpellier (October 21, 2010) 32 pages, ISBN 978-2911939761
- Impegnatevi, Salani Editore, Italy, 2011
External links
- Stéphane Hessel interviewed by Juan GonzálezJuan Gonzalez (journalist)Juan González is an American progressive broadcast journalist and investigative reporter. He has also been a columnist for the New York Daily News since 1987...
on Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
October 10, 2011 - "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Retrieved March 16, 2011 - 60th anniversary commemortion of the Program of the Conseil National de la Résistance. Retrieved March 16, 2011
- Biography and writings of Hessel Denis Touret. Retrieved March 16, 2011
- Interview with Hessel Irenees.net (July 9, 2008). Retrieved March 16, 2011
- Indigène editions Official website. Publisher of Indignez-vous! Retrieved March 17, 2011
- Time for Outrage! Charles GlassCharles GlassCharles Glass is an American author, journalist, and broadcaster specializing in the Middle East. He writes regularly for The Spectator, was ABC News chief Middle East correspondent from 1983–93, and has worked as a correspondent for Newsweek and The Observer...
Books. English translation of Indignez-vous! Retrieved March 17, 2011 - "Stéphane Hessel, a drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed personal guarantee for Ales Bialiatski" Belarusian Viasna Human Rights CentreViasna Human Rights CentreThe Viasna Human Rights Centre is a human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 by activist Ales Bialatski in response to large-scale repression of...
. Retrieved September 6, 2011