Marinus van der Lubbe
Marinus van der Lubbe | |
|---|---|
Van der Lubbe in 1933 | |
| Born | 13 January 1909 Leiden, Netherlands |
| Died | 10 January 1934 (aged 24) |
| Cause of death | Execution by guillotine |
| Resting place | Südfriedhof |
| Occupations | Political activist and trade unionist |
| Known for | Allegedly setting the Reichstag fire |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Netherlands (1925–1931) |
| Movement | Council communism |
| Criminal charges | High treason and arson crime |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed (posthumously pardoned in 2008) |
Marinus van der Lubbe (Dutch pronunciation: [maːˈrinʏs fɑn dər ˈlʏbə]; 13 January 1909 – 10 January 1934) was a Dutch communist who was tried, convicted, and executed by the government of Nazi Germany for setting fire to the Reichstag building—the national parliament of Germany—on 27 February 1933. During his trial, the prosecution argued that van der Lubbe had acted on behalf of a wider communist conspiracy, while left-wing anti-Nazis argued that the fire was a false flag attack arranged by the Nazis themselves.
In 2008, nearly 75 years after the event, the German government granted van der Lubbe a posthumous pardon.