At the forefront of protecting Canadian civil liberties since 1981

 

Battles for Freedom

FREE ERNST ZUNDEL RALLY!

TORONTO. March 28, 2004. They came from as far away as a seven hour drive from Western Pennsylvania and the Eastern Townships of Quebec to attend a rally of 65 persons outside the Metro West Detention Centre in suburban Toronto for Canada's most famous political prisoner Ernst Zundel. The free speech supporters arrived from Uxbridge, Richmond Hill, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Keswick, Mississauga, Kitchener, and, of course, Toronto. A large contingent came in by van from London, Ontario. Musician Blago Simeonov set the theme of the protest with a recording of his song "There is Some Hope" which inspired the protesters on a crisp, sunny March afternoon. Signs read "Free Ernst Zundel" and "No secret hearings." The protest was covered by CITY-TV and had been announced repeatedly on 680-Radio and CFRB. Toronto Free Zundel Protest Under the watchful eye of about a half dozen police off to one side, Paul Fromm, Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression, told the free speech supporters that Mr. Zundel was now in his second year of solitary confinement "solely for the non-violent expression of his political views." "The government says he's a threat to national security because he's a terrorist," Fromm said. "What's their case? Well, they can't tell you. It's a secret," he mocked. "Their public case is a joke -- a collection of empty guilt-by-associations." "Canada's turned its back on 1,000 years of hard won rights," Mr. Fromm told the protesters. "Our heritage of Anglo-Saxon law established that a man has the right to know the charges against him and the right to confront his accusers and the evidence," he added. "However, before every series of hearings, the Crown and the judge Mr. Justice Pierre Blais get together in Ottawa. They receive evidence, they hear accusations and they may hear wirnesses. Who they are or what the evidence is, Mr. Zundel and his lawyers don't know. It's a secret -- national security, you understand," Mr. Fromm said. "Mr. Zundel is a victim of the most corrupt regime in Canadian history -- former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his gang of crooks and their powerful minority backers. We're sliding into a police state," Mr. Fromm warned. "In the former Soviet Union, in Red China, in communist Cuba, people are thrown in jail solely for their political views. Now, that's happening in Canada," he said. Paul Fromm addresses the crowd "The whole system is unfair," Mr. Fromm said. The judge is a former solicitor-general and boss of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) which has prepared the case against Ernst Zundel. He can't be seen to be unbiased. Mr. Zundel's former lawyer Doug Christie asked him to recuse himself, but he refused." "Pierre Blais was chosen by Ottawa deliberately to commit a judicial assassination on Ernst Zundel, much as the Israeli army did earlier this week on Sheik Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas," Mr. Fromm thundered. As the protest is being broadcast over the Internet, longtime CAFE associate Wolfgang Mueller gave a short talk in German for our German-speaking listeners around the world. Melissa Guille, leader of the Canadian Heritage Alliance, said: "The only crime being committed here is keeping Ernst Zundel in solitary confinement. He's a man who never committed a crime in Canada or the U.S. We're here to say that we will not tolerate a government that seeks to control our speech or our beliefs." Across the country, 30 people rallied on an equally sunny Sunday afternoon outside the constituency office of Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, who is the new super security minister, in charge of CSIS. Four television channels, including Global, CBC and the A Channel, Radio Q-107 coverred the hour and a half rally. Glenn Bahr, Alberta leader of Western Canada For Us, demanded freedom for Ernst Zundel in comments to a crowd that spanned the age range. A carload of supporters drove up from Calgary and a supporter came all the way from Vancouver. Alberta Free Zundel Protest At the Toronto rally, Paul Fromm said, CAFE had received messages of support from four continents and from freedom lovers across Canada and the U.S. Among those read at the protest were the following. MESSAGES OF SUPPORT AUSTRALIA: As advocates of free speech and the preservation of civil liberties, the Australian Civil Liberties Union condemns the forced incarceration of Ernst Zundel for over a year and the demeaning circumstances of his arrest and detention. He should have the right, as a citizen, to free speech concerning the alleged events of World War II and to enquire if the conventional version of the Holocaust being promulgated is correct. If it is not, he should be allowed to say so.If it is not, then hard factual evidence should be permitted to show where he is wrong. The popularity of his viewpoint should not be the criteria for judgement: instead, any assessment should be based on the truth and falsity of his viewpoints. Orwell said "free speech means the right to say what other people do not want to hear." The Australian Civil Liberties Union calls for the release of Ernst Zundel and the preservation of the right to free speech, which is a central criteria of a free society. Geoff. Muirden, Research Officer, Australian Civil Liberties Union, PO Box 1137, Carlton, Vic., 3053, Australia. CHILE: Free Ernst Z�ndel!. We cannot allow the New World Order to destroy our RIGHT to free speech. Best regards. Hans Frings FRANCE: Message for the protest of March 28: We, the French revisionists in Professor Faurisson's line, join our Americano-Canadian friends in their protest and indignation at Ernst Z�ndel's arrest on February 5, 2003, in the shape of a kidnapping in the United States but with the complicity of Canadian authorities, and at the internment conditions he is subjected to. It is not worthy of a country with democratic pretensions to keep in solitary confinement a man who cannot be blamed for any crime or offence. The Canadian justice represented by Judge Blais oversteps the generally accepted bounds of human rights. We insistently require the governmental and judicial authorities of Canada to release Ernst Z�ndel to whom we bring all our support. On behalf of the French revisionists: Ren� and Yvonne Schleiter CANADA: Hello, Paul I will not be able to get down to show my support for Ernst Zundel, but be assured that I SUPPORT HIM VERY MUCH, as you know. We Canadians owe Mr. Zundel a great debt of gratitude for his courageous fight for freedom of expression for all of us. Personally, I believe our govrnment should ask Mr.Zundel if he would give us the honour of accepting Canadian citizenship. Then we should immediately give him the highest class of the Order of Canada, if he will accept it. I would not blame him if he declined to accept it, as it has been given to some very unworthy and even unsavoury individuals. I am pleased to be a friend and supporter of Ernst, and am honoured to think he may say that he is my friend of mine, as well. Thank you, too, Paul, for your tireless efforts on behalf of freedom of speech for all. Sincere good wishes. Grenville Rogers Lively, ON P3Y 1N3 [email protected] Please let Mr. Zundel know that many people not only admire him for his strength, but love him for the courage of the last thirty years of dedicated work in his attempts to right so many wrongs in history. In memory of all those lost in wars, the mindless and lost souls of today, and for tomorrow's children, we thank him. He towers in mind, body and spirit over the tallest of his enemies -- God Bless all of you and keep you in his care. Love, Linda Mihovich I join with the protesters in demanding: Free Ernst Zundel now. Wolfgang Schoebe, Windsor, ON   UNITED STATES: SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR ERNST Whenever I receive news concerning Ernst's state of mind, I learn that he is encouraged and positive. He is a man of destiny, believing that his purpose is to contend for the truth of his people, our people. His encouragement encourages me. And such a courageous man should be championed and rescued from the den of thieves wherein he is wrongfully imprisoned. You who attend these rallies on the our behalf are champions. Thank you for contending for truth for us for Ernst Zundel. Diane King Cushing, Texas   Free Ernst Zundel, Nothing like violating someones human rights! Hopefully you will use comon sense and free him. J.Rizzo A Government willing to give you everything you need,will soon need everything you have! Dear Paul: You asked me to send a short message to the rally for Ernst Zundel. Greetings form Marshfield, WI. You are not only fighting that justice gets done for one man, Ernst Zundel. You are fighting for justice, the underpinning of every civilization. Wish I could be with you. C hristine B. Miller -- Marshfield, WI. _____________________-- The Zundel Defence Fund Needs Your Help Today The Defence Fund is very seriously depleted and we face major outlays in the April. I again ask for your commitment and urgent help. Please mail us your contribution today or e-mail us your VISA number and expiry date. We have a number of delicate colour-pencil sketches by Ernst Zundel done in prison. Each is dated and signed. Each is a nature study. Mr. Zundel has long been a paint and sketch artist. He had returned to his love of art before the U.S. I.N.S picked him up and deported him. He has done a number of new and beautiful designs, including Stonehenge and oak leaves. All donors will receive one of these sketches. Mail your donation today to CAFE, Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3, Canada or e-mail us your VISA number and expiry date. On your cheque or an accompanying piece of paper, note: "For Zundel Defence Fund."