The Ontario Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the 1988 conviction of neo-Nazi pamphleteer Ernst Zundel on Tuesday and sharply reprimanded his lawyer.
The three-judge panel found no merit in Zundel’s appeal, which claimed he was being punished for holding certain political views.
It found “irresponsible and reprehensible” the charge by defense attorney Douglas Christie that the judge who presided at Zundel’s trial was personally biased against him.
Zundel, who operated a print shop in Toronto, was the center of a massive neo-Nazi propaganda ring that circulated hate material worldwide.
He was the subject of a complaint by the Bundestag, the West German parliament, for sending neo-Nazi material to the Federal Republic, where it is outlawed.
Zundel was twice convicted of violating the “false news” section of Canada’s criminal code, for distributing the pamphlet “Did Six Million Really Die?” a tract that questioned the authenticity of the Holocaust.
His first conviction was reversed on a technicality. His second, in May 1988, drew a nine-month prison sentence.
Zundel was released on bail pending the verdict of the court of appeals. If he carries the appeal to Canada’s Supreme Court, he will need to apply for new bail.
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