President Herbert Knorr Dissolved 1941 Political position Far Right | Founded 1931 Ideology National Socialism Colours Red | |
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The Nazi Party of Costa Rica (Spanish: Partido Nazi de Costa Rica) was the name of a Costa Rican movement during the 1930s. It was never legalized as a political party but was well organized and supported Nazi Germany during World War II.
Overview
Its leaders were the engineer Max Effinger, Herbert Knorr and Karl Bayer. It was formed mostly by Germans, Italians and white Costa Ricans, and reached a total of 66 members. They met at the German Club (where they performed public activities) and in the private estate of an Italian. It was in the German club, where Margarita Dobles, daughter of Luis Dobles Segreda, recited her poetry: Adolf Hitler, the Liberator of the German Land.
Some Jewish historians claim that León Cortés Castro and other important political figures like Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia were sympathizers of the party and were anti-Semites. León Cortés in particular had strong anti-Semitic policies and appointed Effinger as the commissioner of immigration. Effinger prevented the access of Polish Jewish refugees.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Costa Rica declared war on Germany. The Italians and Germans were arrested for their Nazi support and sent to a concentration camp in the center of San José.