|
Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel looks through paperwork during a recess in his detention review with the Immigration and Refugee Board in Niagara Falls, Ont., Monday, March 31, 2003. (CP PHOTO/ Aaron Harris)
|
INDEPTH: ERNST ZUNDEL
Ernst Zundel - Profile
CBC News Online | Updated February 9, 2006
Born in Germany to a lumberjack and a devout Christian, Ernst Zundel came to Canada at the age of 19. His public profile as a Holocaust denier grew in 1980, with the publication of a pamphlet "Did Six Million Really Die?" Based in Toronto, Zundel's company, Samisdat Publishers, became a mini-empire producing materials supporting his views, including the controversial work - The Hitler We Loved and Why.
In more recent years, he has become a political hot potato to immigration officials in Canada and the United States; after years of being denied Canadian citizenship, Zundel moved to the U.S., where he lived for a few short years before being sent back to Canada. Today, Zundel's future is uncertain. He's in jail facing deportation to Germany – where he's wanted on hate charges – after a Federal Court judge declared him a threat to national security in May 2003.
TIMELINE:
1939:
Born in Calmbach, Germany.
1958:
Zundel moves to Canada in an attempt, he says, to avoid conscription. He lands in Montreal before moving to Toronto.
1959:
Marries Janick Larouche, a French Canadian. The couple have two sons, Pierre and Hans.
1967:
Runs for leadership of federal Liberal party.
1977:
Zundel and Larouche separate.
1980:
Zundel's publishing company releases "Did Six Million Really Die?", a pamphlet denying the Holocaust.
1993:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada rejects Zundel's application for citizenship. Zundel appeals the decision on the grounds it doesn't detail how he is considered a threat. He retains his status as a permanent resident of Canada.
May 1995:
Zundel-House – the fortified home where Zundel's operations are based in Toronto – is firebombed, causing extensive damage.
1996:
Zundel marries Irene Margarelli, a U.S. citizen. The marriage lasts just over a year.
1997:
The Canadian Human Rights Commission charges Zundel with using his website to distribute hate literature.
December 2000:
The Supreme Court of Canada refuses to hear Zundel's appeal of the 1993 Citizenship and Immigration decision denying him Canadian citizenship.
2001:
Zundel moves to Tennessee after a long-fought battle over his views about the Holocaust. "I will not set foot in Canada again," he vows. The same year, he marries Ingrid Rimland.
February 2003:
U.S. immigration officials hand Zundel over to Canadian authorities because he violated the terms of his stay in the United States. In turn, Citizenship and Immigration Canada files a national security certificate requesting Zundel to be removed from Canada. "They decided that they cut their losses and they are going to ship me off to the fatherland as soon as possible," Zundel said. He is wanted in Germany on hate crime charges.
May 2003:
A Federal Court judge declares Zundel a threat to national security (Zundel considers himself a pacifist), and Ottawa moves to deport him to Germany.
September 2004:
The Supreme Court of Canada refuses to hear Zundel's challenge against the federal government. Zundel argued that he's being unfairly treated because some of the evidence against him remains secret.
February 24, 2005:
Zundel gives up his bid to remain in Canada. Zundel's lawyer makes the announcement after a Federal Court justice finds him a threat to national security because of his connection with white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, paving the way for his deportation.
March 1, 2005:
Zundel is put on a plane to Frankfurt, Germany. Upon landing, he is taken into custody, on charges of denying the Holocaust and inciting hatred.
March 2, 2005:
A judge orders Zundel held in jail in the southwestern city of Mannheim during the preliminary proceedings of his case.
July 19, 2005:
German prosecutors charge Zundel with inciting racial hatred. They list 14 examples of alleged incitement, including repeated denials of the Holocaust, which is a crime in Germany.
Nov. 8, 2005:
Zundel's trial opens in Mannheim, Germany. Judge Ulrich Meinerzhagen dismisses Zundel's lawyer, who was barred from practising after being convicted of incitement for distributing anti-Semitic propaganda. A verdict was originally expected by Nov. 24, but the trial would be suspended after the judge decided that Zundel's new lawyer would need time to get up to speed on the case.
Feb. 9, 2006
Zundel's trial resumes. His lawyer - Hans-Ullrich Beust - charges that the case is politically motivated.
^TOP
|
|
 |
 EXTERNAL LINKS: |
|
|
| MORE: |
|
|
|
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. Links will open in new window.
