[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]On Tuesday, and Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel was put on a plane headed for Germany, and authorities in the country were awaiting his arrival.
Last week, a Federal Court judge ruled that Zundel - a landed immigrant who has lived in Canada for more than four decades - posed a threat to national security and paved the way for the German citizen to be deported to his native country.
Justice Pierre Blais said Zundel was an influential figure with neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups that used violence to spread their hateful messages.
"Zundel's activities are not only a threat to Canada's national security but also a threat to the international community of nations," Blais said.
The 65-year-old doesn’t have a criminal record in Canada but faces arrest when he returns to Germany. The man claims the Holocaust never happened, which is a crime in the European nation.
German officials were able to open a case against Zundel because he has a web site, and officials say that means he’s spreading his message to Germans as well.
And while just about everyone agrees his message is wrong, some voiced alarm over his possible deportation, as an abuse of Canada’s national security laws.
"Zundel is a nasty character and Canadians understandably would like to get rid of him," Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said. "But I don't think it's fair to pay a price that is so potentially damaging to civil liberties."
B’Nai Brith Canada doesn’t buy it. “We are gratified that the government has moved quickly and immediately to have Zundel removed,” praises Frank Dimant. “We hope that this signals a new and tougher approach by
Canada to crackdown without exception on practitioners of hate.”
The evidence Blais reviewed came from Canada’s spy agency and much of it was kept secret from Zundel and his lawyers. For the last two years, te hard hat wearing 'publisher' was kept in solitary confinement without charge at the Toronto West Detention Centre.
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