SeanAshi
02-26-2005, 08:43 PM
Zundel won't appeal deportation, lawyer says
Infamous Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel has given up his fight to stay in Canada, opening the door for his deportation to Germany as early as next week.
"He won't be asking for a stay," Zundel's lawyer, Peter Lindsay told The Canadian Press on Friday. "This is an unfair process. Everyone has turned their backs on him."
According to Lindsay, the courts have had numerous opportunities to remedy the "unfairness that he has been subjected to and they haven't."
Moreover, Lindsay said, Immigration officials aren't willing to let the top court decide whether his client's allegations of judicial bias are well-founded.
On Friday, an Immigration Canada spokesperson said the department planned to deport Zundel to his native Germany as soon as possible.
Responding, an anonymous German official told CP that Zundel can expect to "be picked up immediately and then arrested," on charges of Holocaust denial when he arrives.
"If there is an arrest warrant, then we have to prosecute if he's in our jurisdiction."
The latest developments come the day after a Federal Court Justice opened the door on Zundel's expulsion.
In his 64-page decision, Justice Pierre Blais called Zundel a danger to society.
"Mr. 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.
Denouncing Zundel as a Hitler sympathizer determined to propagate the neo-Nazi movement, Blais said Zundel was a "leader of international significance" among white supremacists.
"He also tried, by all means possible, to develop and maintain a global network of groups that have an interest in the same right-wing, extremist, neo-Nazi mindset," Blais wrote.
"I remember how proud he was when he mentioned in cross-examination that his Zundelsite received hits from 400,000 people a month, and that after his arrest, the number grew to 1.2 million people accessing his website each month."
Zundel, 65, was arrested in the United States for overstaying his visa in 2003. He was then deported back to Canada. Despite having lived for almost four decades in Canada, Zundel was never able to convert his landed immigrant status into citizenship.
Held in solitary confinement in a Toronto jail for the past two years, he's been detained on a national security certificate signed by Canada's solicitor general and the federal minister of citizenship and immigration.
The certificate allows the federal government to hold him indefinitely, pending deportation.
Jewish leaders praised the judge's decision and hoped the deportation would be quick. Ed Morgan, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress, told the Toronto Star the judge's decision was "a victory against racism and hate.
"It is certainly a victory for all Canadians who believe in a peaceful, multicultural society," Morgan said.
Bernie Farber, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, echoed his sentiments.
"He could be gone tomorrow," Farber told The Globe and Mail. "All I know is, it's going to be quick. Canadians can breathe easier now."
Zundel's defence counsel Peter Lindsay told The Globe that he plans to make a couple of last-ditch efforts to stay the deportation order.
With files from The Canadian Press :hug:
Infamous Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel has given up his fight to stay in Canada, opening the door for his deportation to Germany as early as next week.
"He won't be asking for a stay," Zundel's lawyer, Peter Lindsay told The Canadian Press on Friday. "This is an unfair process. Everyone has turned their backs on him."
According to Lindsay, the courts have had numerous opportunities to remedy the "unfairness that he has been subjected to and they haven't."
Moreover, Lindsay said, Immigration officials aren't willing to let the top court decide whether his client's allegations of judicial bias are well-founded.
On Friday, an Immigration Canada spokesperson said the department planned to deport Zundel to his native Germany as soon as possible.
Responding, an anonymous German official told CP that Zundel can expect to "be picked up immediately and then arrested," on charges of Holocaust denial when he arrives.
"If there is an arrest warrant, then we have to prosecute if he's in our jurisdiction."
The latest developments come the day after a Federal Court Justice opened the door on Zundel's expulsion.
In his 64-page decision, Justice Pierre Blais called Zundel a danger to society.
"Mr. 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.
Denouncing Zundel as a Hitler sympathizer determined to propagate the neo-Nazi movement, Blais said Zundel was a "leader of international significance" among white supremacists.
"He also tried, by all means possible, to develop and maintain a global network of groups that have an interest in the same right-wing, extremist, neo-Nazi mindset," Blais wrote.
"I remember how proud he was when he mentioned in cross-examination that his Zundelsite received hits from 400,000 people a month, and that after his arrest, the number grew to 1.2 million people accessing his website each month."
Zundel, 65, was arrested in the United States for overstaying his visa in 2003. He was then deported back to Canada. Despite having lived for almost four decades in Canada, Zundel was never able to convert his landed immigrant status into citizenship.
Held in solitary confinement in a Toronto jail for the past two years, he's been detained on a national security certificate signed by Canada's solicitor general and the federal minister of citizenship and immigration.
The certificate allows the federal government to hold him indefinitely, pending deportation.
Jewish leaders praised the judge's decision and hoped the deportation would be quick. Ed Morgan, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress, told the Toronto Star the judge's decision was "a victory against racism and hate.
"It is certainly a victory for all Canadians who believe in a peaceful, multicultural society," Morgan said.
Bernie Farber, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, echoed his sentiments.
"He could be gone tomorrow," Farber told The Globe and Mail. "All I know is, it's going to be quick. Canadians can breathe easier now."
Zundel's defence counsel Peter Lindsay told The Globe that he plans to make a couple of last-ditch efforts to stay the deportation order.
With files from The Canadian Press :hug: