Wife of Dutch Nazi collaborator dies

Wife of prominent Dutch Nazi collaborator, known as the 'black widow,' dies at 92

Associated Press/March 25, 2007

The wife of one of the most prominent Dutch collaborator during the German occupation of Netherlands in World War II has died, her son said in a statement Saturday. She was 92.

Florrie Rost van Tonningen was a supporter of the Nazi party in the Netherlands during the 1930s, and her husband Meinoud the second highest-ranking member of the Dutch Nazi Party ran the Netherlands' national bank during the occupation. He was killed or committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial after the war.

Florrie soon earned the epithet 'the black widow' due to her continued adherence to Nazi ideology and involvement in Dutch white supremacist circles after the war. She was convicted several times for spreading Nazi literature, made anti-Semitic remarks in her memoirs and held meetings for neo-Nazis in her home.

As recently as 2000 she discussed the value of having "white skin" in a television interview.

She is survived by three sons, who reject her ideology.

"My mother, whose courage, dedication and perseverance could not be denied, alas, always remained loyal to her national-socialist ideology," her son, Grimbert, wrote on his Web site.

"Surrounded by a small group of followers, she continued to cling stubbornly to the idea that Hitler and his supporters were right. In that sense, she caused much pain to the Dutch people, Jews, and many others, as well as her own family."