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From: radford@calgary.UUCP (Radford Neal)
Newsgroups: net.columbia,net.politics
Subject: Re: Censorship in Canada (Zundel)
Message-ID: <162@calgary.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Feb-86 18:43:04 EST
Article-I.D.: calgary.162
Posted: Sat Feb 22 18:43:04 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Feb-86 00:23:49 EST
References: <6396@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Lines: 40

> The individual refered to is doubtless Ernst Zundel, a rabid neo-Nazi
> who lives in Canada but is not a Canadian, and who has stated publicly 
> and repeatedly that
> 1. Hitler remains one of his heroes.
> 2. There is an international Jewish conspiracy, etc.
> 3. The Holocaust is a Jewish lie, etc.
> This Zundel has repeatedly published anti-semitic hate literature 
> and supports and is financially supported by 
> a variety of neo-Nazi groups.  He was jailed because actively inciting
> hatred against any identifiable group in Canada is illegal.  
> (Zundel may be deported after his release from prison.)
> 
> It is certainly not clear to this reader why such an example equates the
> censorship of the media in Canada to the USSR.  As other submissions have
> indicated, there is no such equivalence.
>
> Name:   Richard Snell

The above is correct, except that Zundel was convicted of "spreading false
news", not inciting hatred. The "news" referred to was the claim that the
Jewish Holocaust was a hoax. (He was acquitted on the charge referring to
the "international Jewish consipiracy", not because he didn't believe in one
of course.) 

I agree that censorship in Canada is not equivalent to that in the USSR,
but I do not think that is a reason for complacency. It is disturbing that
a law designed to prevent statements causing panic in the population can
be applied to claims concerning events of forty years ago, unaccompanied by
any suggestions for immediate action.

The conviction of Jim Keegstra a few months later was perhaps even more
disturbing. Keegstra is a crackpot who, I am certain from personal knowledge,
actually believes what he says (including claims that the Holocaust was
greatly exaggerated). Furthermore, he does NOT promote hatred on racial
grounds; he's more of a religious nut who doesn't like Judaism the religion,
at least as practiced by modern Jews, and opposes the Jewish culture. If this
is illegal, then presumably anyone who states that the Aztecs performed 
human sacrifices also runs the risk of jail.

       Radford Neal