GROK on Hitler's persecution of JEHOVAH'S Witnesses.

The Nazi persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses was a brutal and systematic campaign rooted in the regime’s ideological opposition to the group’s religious convictions and refusal to conform to Nazi authority. Jehovah’s Witnesses, known for their strict adherence to biblical principles, rejected Nazi ideology, refused to swear allegiance to Hitler, perform military service, or participate in Nazi rituals like the Hitler salute. This defiance made them a target, as the Nazis viewed their non-conformity as a direct challenge to their totalitarian control.

From 1933, when the Nazis seized power, Jehovah’s Witnesses faced escalating persecution. Their literature was banned, meetings were raided, and thousands were arrested. By 1934, the Gestapo intensified efforts, seizing property and sending members to concentration camps. In the camps, such as Dachau, Buchenwald, and Ravensbrück, they were marked with a purple triangle, a symbol distinguishing them from other prisoners. Estimates suggest around 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned, with 2,500 to 5,000 dying due to execution, torture, or harsh conditions. Unlike other groups, Witnesses could often secure release by signing a declaration renouncing their faith, but most refused, viewing it as a betrayal of their beliefs.

them from families to be raised in Nazi-aligned households or institutions. Despite this, Witnesses maintained clandestine networks, distributing literature and holding secret meetings, often at great risk. Their resilience stemmed from their apocalyptic worldview, seeing persecution as a test of faith and a sign of the end times.

Post-war, their suffering was less acknowledged than that of other groups, partly because their persecution was driven by religious rather than ethnic or political factors. However, their stand against Nazism remains a striking example of resistance through non-violent conviction.