The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

David Irving, Holocaust denial, and his connections to right-wing extremists and Neo-National Socialism (Neo-Nazism) In Germany

1992: 'International Campaign for Real History' falters (continued)


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available, in which Ernst Zündel and Fred Leuchter spoke on 3 November 1991 `if the worst came to the worst.'<439>

...arrived at Holiday Inn, Sindelfingen, near Stuttgart. Here the manager whose staff had told us last night there was no problem, we could set up at 3 p.m., announced the meeting would not take place; no, not banned by the hotel, so they would not refund the rent; nor allowed either. Klaus Ewald arrived, got nowhere with them either. So we headed for the alternative venue [venue] at Herrenberg, 22km away. The Kripo [criminal police] arrived 5 minutes later, and in due course they banned the mee[ti]ng there. [...] I agreed to address a .meeting of valiant remnants in a field 5km from Boeblingen, and played to them the tape of my Schlupwort [plea] (which resulted in 13 sales immediately.)<440>

5.7.19. After the disaster Dill wrote to Irving that `We will thoroughly discuss the lessons to be learnt but of this with Ernst Zündel. Meetings only in private circles with the registration of a topic which is not contestable. Only personal invitations...'<441> Irving replied `That really was an unlucky week! Five meetings in the FRG, all cancelled by the police.<442>

5.7.20. On 17 May disaster struck again for Irving in Schliersee where he had been booked to speak by Althans.<443>

Arrived at Schliersee Bahnhof 12:30 p.m.; Althans arrived twenty minutes later, and told that a "catastrophe" occurred here too, namely the Kripo had arrived at 9:2 a.m. here and told the organisers not to let me speak. They of course knew nothing of my planned presence. Kripo knew more than they did. The 300 people at tables cheered as I walked in, but organiser confirmed to me that the police ban made it impossible for them to let me speak, as they depended on the town to let them have the hall each year ...So it looks like the fifth meeting this tour is also K.O.d. [knocked out] I am fuming.<444>

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5.7.21. Irving stayed overnight on the AVÖ premises in Munich.<445> In retrospect Irving was clear in his mind where the roots of disaster lay, and it was certainly not due to his own utterances. He wrote to Renate Werlberger of the Munich NPD `...my last journey to Germany simply a wash out. Five events all banned by the police with different excuses. I have Mr. Althans, better said the NO to thank for that.<446> To Zündel he wrote 'I don't believe that I will speak for the Nat.[ionale] Liste, Nat.[ionale] Offensive or the AVÖ again. The two weeks (costs: 12,000,--) brought nothing in. Everything banned, mostly caused through stupidity.'<447>

5.7.22. Obviously not the politics of such groups, but their lack of organisational skills was what disturbed Irving.

5.7.23. On 5 June Irving stayed in Germany briefly on his way to the Moscow archives, squeezing in a meeting in Hamburg for Ulrich Harder.<448> Sometime in June Irving had also agreed to attend a think tank [`Denkfabrik] in Munich at the behest of the `the German Conservatives [`Die Deutschen Konservativen] of Joachim Siegerist, as mediated by Dr. Manfrid Dreher.<449> The event was cancelled.<450> On 12 June Irving in was Germany on his return from the Moscow archives.<451> The next day Irving flew from Munich to Rome, where he was promptly deported back to Munich. In Munich again (Irving was surprised that the Italians had not alerted the German authorities to his return) he spoke with Zündel at a meeting arranged by Althans.<452> On the 14 Irving met Zündel again to plan his forthcoming Canadian tour.<453>

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5.7.24. On 11 September 1992 Irving was to have spoken to the Munich NPD on the Goebbels diaries, but received a speaking ban.<454> On 12 September Thies Christophersen had invited Irving to attend a conference organised by him in Antwerp.<455> Irving accepted and drove to Antwerp with Pedro Varelax, Althans, and friend Thomas [Dienel?].<456> Zündel and Worch also attended the conference, where Irving spoke on `Nuremberg.'<457> There are no nearer details of the conference. On 13 September Irving had planned to speak at a NPD meeting in Cologne.<458> On 14 September Irving planned to speak in Aachen, but apparently the meeting was cancelled 'by the organisers.'<459>

5.8 OPC observations 1992.

5.8.1. As in 1990 and 1991 the VSBs noted Irving repeatedly participating at neo-Nazi meetings, presenting his revisionist statements. As a leading representative of this international `revisionist campaign' he was also described as de facto leading representative of neo-Nazi activities in Germany.<460>

5.9 1993: expulsion

5.9.1. Irving's diaries and documentation for 1993 being fragmentary, we will suffice ourselves with summarising the little that is reconstructable.

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5.9.2. Between 11/12 - 14 January Irving was in Germany and Austria in the company of Althans and Susie Töpler..<461> On 14 January spoke in Munich to a meeting of 'the friends of Ernst Zündel' organised by Althans, where Irving received a partial speaking ban..<462>

5.9.3. Sometime between 17-23 May an international meeting was organised by Christophersen, which Irving would have appeared to have agreed to attend, if the event had not been cancelled because of adverse publicity..<463>

5.9.4. On 26 June a conspirative meeting was planned by Worch for Irving outside Hamburg, although Worch refused to fax Irving exact details for fear of observation..<464> Irving recorded, `Good speech on the problems and vicissitudes of the last twelve months; no police presence (I hope) so I spoke freely..<465> On 27 June Irving spoke to the 'Association for Culture and Contemporary History' [`Verein ftir Kultur and Zeitgeschichte,'] in Hamburg organised by Ulrich Harder..<466> On 5 July a meeting had been planned with Althans, which Irving himself apparently called off..<467>

5.9.5. On 3 July Irving spoke to a NPD meeting in Mainburg. In his diary he wrote, 'Police presence, usual teilweise Redeverbot [partial speaking ban] handed to me. Backed up an hour later by warning that if I read it out I would be arrested. Democracies!'.<468> The

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ban was apparently based on.that handed down to Irving in Munich on 11 January 1993..<469> Interesting in this context is what Irving then said to the audience. Irving told the audience that he was banned from explaining his theses `But that is not important. Because I am convinced that most of you knew what I would talk to you about, what my theses are, what I would say [laughter, applause]'.<470> Even when banned, Irving's mere presence and innuendo was enough to spread the denialist cause.

5.9.6. On 9 November Irving started a tour arranged by the AVÖ's Wiesel, arranged to start in Munich and Baden Wuerttemberg and end in Dresden.<471> Whilst in Munich he was requested to quit the country by the German authorities.<472> Irving recorded the next two days in his diary.

Arranged dinner at Mövenpick [with. Töpler] at 9p.m. Ten minutes later a Kriminalkommissar [police officer] Wolf of the Staatsschutz [security service] and a female officer arrived brandishing a .thick. envelope containing two copies .of a 33pp. Aufenthaltsverbot [residency ban] issued against me and date stamped today, November 9. That's torn it. I read it through at leisure, and heard him remark that he had something even grimmer to do (or hand me) as soon as I had read it. He sent the female out to get it; I nonchalently said I would of course have to phone my lawyer Herrmann, and rose to get his number from the car. "You're coming back?" asked the officer, and I said yes, before climbing into the car and speeding off, nearly colliding with a pack of Jews at the local Kristallnacht memorial. Drove to Wiesel's headquarter and left a message to him to meet me at Hotel Drei Lowen. Then phoned Susie [Töpler] and using coded language changed rendezvous to same place ("the place where I gave you that pen"). Wiesel turned up and I took him round the block then in car. It was obvious to me, the police intended to serve on me the latest Strafbefehl [summary sentence] personally, or perhaps even arrest me (Leuchter is still in jail!).<473>

5.9.7. Irving's lawyers refused to take the case, whereupon Irving realised that he had to vacate Germany as quickly as possible to avoid the indignity of deportation. `...changed reservation from 9 p.m. flight to stand by on 5 p.m. flight to London, hoping thereby to loose any policeman who had checked the British airways

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computer... Dash to airport gate and just got on as they closed the doors. Back in London.'<474>


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