Hans Litten's Legacy Honored in New York with Memorial Day Declaration
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared February 5 as Hans Litten Memorial Day, coinciding with a New York performance of the play The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler earlier this year. The play recounts the story of Hans Litten, a Berlin lawyer who cross-examined Adolf Hitler in 1931 during the Edenpalast trial. Hitler testified under oath that he would use only legal means to gain power, a claim Litten denounced as a foundational lie of a future dictator. Litten, describing himself as a lawyer for the proletariat, was an antifascist, communist, anarchist, and metaphysician. His legal confrontation led to his persecution; after five years in various concentration camps, he was driven to death in 1938. The historical context includes the SA Sturm 33 hunting political opponents and the onset of a global economic crisis in autumn 1929, which increased unemployment and boosted the NSDAP's success in the September 1930 Reichstag election. The article originates from the current issue of Freitag, focusing on Litten's role in Berlin in 1931.
Key facts
- Hans Litten cross-examined Adolf Hitler in the 1931 Edenpalast trial in Berlin.
- Hitler swore under oath to use only legal methods to seize power, which Litten called a foundational lie.
- Litten identified as a lawyer for the proletariat and was an antifascist, communist, anarchist, and metaphysician.
- After the trial, Litten was imprisoned in concentration camps for five years and died in 1938.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared February 5 as Hans Litten Memorial Day in 2024.
- The declaration followed a New York performance of the play The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler.
- The SA Sturm 33 targeted political opponents during this period.
- A global economic crisis began in autumn 1929, leading to rising unemployment and NSDAP gains in the 1930 Reichstag election.
Entities
Artists
- Hans Litten
- Adolf Hitler
- Zohran Mamdani
Institutions
- Freitag
- NSDAP
- SA Sturm 33
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- New York
- United States