For Immediate Release
Toronto, August 1, 1996... Today the Federal Court found there to be a reasonable apprehension of bias by the Security Intelligence Review Committe (SIRC) against those holding right-wing ideologies and namely, long-time Holocaust denier and hatemonger Ernst Zundel. B'nai Brith Canada calls for an appeal on this decision and finds it astonishing that Canada's security and intelligence organizations can be chastised for holding biases against ideologies and individuals who propagate hatred. We cannot comprehend how a Federal Court judge can so readily determine that the legislative will of Parliament can be thwarted.
Legal counsel for B'nai Brith Canada, David Matas released the following statement: “It appears that the Canadian government and Court system has lost sight of the main issue. For years Zundel has been dodging through our legal system and showing the Canadian Courts that the hate law is toothless, that our Courts can be led a merry chase by wandering off on endless technical tangents. This was seen when Zundel was denied use of the mail for his activities which was subsequently overturned, or when Zundel was convicted twice on the false news charge, which was overturned in appeal and deemed unconstitutional, or when the latest charge of conspiring to commit the propagation of hatred was thrown out of court. Zundel fights to stay in Canada because he fears returning to Germany where he would be faced with serious consequences. Zundel stays in Canada because elsewhere he would go to jail for his activities. Canada is his haven, his base of woldwide operations and the Canadian government has proved defenseless against his brand of hatred.”
B'nai Brith Canada calls on the Government to appeal this decision and on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration not to grant citizenship to Ernst Zundel. His teachings are cancerous to the multicultural fabric of Canada and are against the law. We also call upon the Federal Courts to untie the hands of the security and intelligence organizations and encourage their fight against those who create and propagate hatred, discrimination and racism in our country.
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