The furor and controversy that surrounded the just concluded eight week trial of Ernst Zundel, found guilty of deliberately publishing lies about the Holocaust, has not subsided, as evidenced by a huge rally last Sunday at the O’Keefe Center here.
The rally, attended by some 5,000 persons, was to remind Canadians of the realities of the Holocaust. It included a call by David Rotenberg, a Cabinet member of the Ontario government, urging that Zundel be deported for his crimes.
Zundel was found guilty by a 12-person jury of publishing false information likely to cause racial or social intolerance. He published “Did Six Million Really Die?” which claims the Holocaust was a hoaxperpetrated by Zionists to extort reparations from West Germany.
MEDIA COVERAGE CRITICIZED
Irving Abella, professor at York University and coauthor of “None Is Too Many,” received local cheers when he assailed the media for its coverage of the Zundel trial. He said the media “fell into a trap by emphasizing counter Holocaust testimony and downplaying evidence affirming it” despite the anguish caused to Jews and survivors by the trial. He said Jews were thankful the jury sent a message that “there will be no more free rides for hatemongers.”
The rally was organized by the Canadian Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith Canada and North American Jewish Students Network and co-sponsored by more than a dozen Christian churches and labor groups.
Messages came from External Affairs Minister Joe Clark and Ontario Premier Frank Miller. The rally was preceded by a candle light parade from Nathan Phillips Square which began with the blowing of the shofar.
Earlier in the day, Hans Gunther Koch, Consul General of West Germany, addressed an outdoor rally at Queens Park sponsored by the Jewish War Veterans and the General Wingate branch of the Canadian Legion. Koch acknowledged the tragic and shameful truth of the Holocaust.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
