German Court Trying Holocaust Denier (he's 42!)

[HadassahSukkot]

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2238387,00.html

Chemist Germar Rudolf is one of the most often cited Holocaust deniers of the past decade, and now he'll have to answer for his contention that there were no Auschwitz gas chambers.


The 42-year-old Rudolf was arraigned at a regional court in Mannheim on Monday. Prosecutors accuse him of "representing the Holocaust as a myth," which is forbidden under German law. He faces a second charge of disturbing the peace of the dead.

Rudolf called the Holocaust "a gigantic fraud," at the start of proceedings in Mannheim.

Rudolf, who has a degree in chemistry, first attracted attention in the early 1990s, when he was called as an expert witness for the defense in the trial of a former German military general accused of denying the Holocaust. The report Rudolf submitted to the court claimed that chemical tests carried out on material from the Auschwitz concentration camp proved that there were no gas chambers there....


Rudolf is the second prominent Holocaust denier to face charges in Mannheim this year. This trial of the first, Ernst Zündel, got underway in June and is still going on.


(see the article for more)

[HadassahSukkot]

Just a note before people from the "outside" (as in outside of German culture) jump in -

Germany takes Nazism and Holocaust denial very seriously.

It is illegal to purchase anything relating to the Nazi-era if you are German, and it is also illegal to sell and benefit from the sale. You can give parephenalia to your children (if it's something from your life or parents/grandparents) and same with the old Reichsmarks.. but it is treated as history, and a very bitter/nasty history at that.

Holocaust history is taught from an early age, and everyone who is German knows about it and is educated in it.

In fact, Andreas still gets sick if I even suggest watching a WWII documentary or movie related to WWII - and asks me "why do you watch this, are you obsessed or something?" - Sad thing, is you are taught how bad Germany was and is for holding ANY of these ideals- all children taught equally regardless of their history (whether or not they are Jewish)... so it leaves a kind of bad taste in some folk's mouths. (like Andreas, who have a low tolerance for certain images, teachings or thoughts)

Unfortunately, since many people have passed away or are passing away that are from this generation, the children of today are feeling more of a "disconnect" to the history than the children in past generations. :(


[This is a stark contrast to Japan, which doesn't teach WWII history at all.]

In Germany, if you so much as suggest doing something slightly Nazi-like (even jokingly "heil") you can get in some serious trouble.

The Neo-Nazis are a grave concern in some of the larger cities, but by far are not a large 'force' compared to in many countries.

just a couple of thoughts.

[shalominyeshua]

That is just crazy! I can't even imagine how survivors must feel. People seem to want to cover up their sins and the holocust is no exception! May G-d have mercy on those people as he reveals Himself to them!

[HadassahSukkot]

I know :(

One thing that was "good" about the nazis, they documented absolutely EVERYTHING.

Even the stuff they got rid of and burned, had backups, and what didn't, there were people alive who were witnesses...!

Of all things, to try and deny the gas chambers, I don't even see how as a chemist, unless you're completely illusioned in your own fantasy world... (or possessed, but we ain't goin' there!) could you even possibly really believe it was fake.

There's plenty of documentation on the chemicals used, what they did, what they do while they're in process, and how many millions died while implementing them :(

Untold horrors, and just to wipe it off your mind and say "nope, it didn't happen.."


May G-d have mercy on all our souls.

[plum]

wow... just wow. I mean, sure I know Holocaust deniers are out there... but seriously.