Horst Mahler
Encyclopedia
Horst Mahler is a former German lawyer and advocate of radical ideologies. He once was an extreme-left militant, a founding member of the Red Army Faction
. Subsequently he became a Maoist
and later shifted to the extreme-right. He was for a time a member of the National Democratic Party of Germany
. He has been repeatedly convicted of Volksverhetzung
("incitement of popular hatred") and Holocaust denial
and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
in 1970. While imprisoned he became a Maoist, but later turned sharply to the right. In 2000 he joined the NPD and represented the party in court.
In an interview to an Israeli reporter, Naftali Glicksberg, Mahler claimed that he himself is of part-Jewish descent. He described his mother telling him and his brothers while bursting into tears that they have Jewish ancestry and are ⅛ Jewish.
with support of the German National Merit Foundation. In 1964 he founded a law firm
in Berlin and practised microeconomic law. In 1966 he successfully argued a case before the European Court of Human Rights
.
As a young lawyer, Mahler defended Andreas Baader
, Gudrun Ensslin
, and Rudi Dutschke
.
and the leftist students' association Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund
. He was expelled from the SPD in 1960, as were other members of the SDS, that had developed from being the SPD youth wing to a radical left-wing group. He joined the new organisation's call for "extra-parliamentary opposition", or forceful resistance Mahler joined the Ausserparlamentarische Opposition
in 1964.
After the attempted assassination of Rudi Dutschke
, Mahler took part in the violent protests against Springer Publishing House
. He was arrested for his involvement.
At that time, Mahler was active as a lawyer who defended students who faced criminal prosecution. By 1970 he had defended Beate Klarsfeld, Fritz Teufel
and Rainer Langhans (both participants of the Kommune 1
), the left-wing student leader Rudi Dutschke
, Peter Brandt (the eldest son of Willy Brandt
), as well as subsequent RAF terrorists Andreas Baader
and Gudrun Ensslin
.
, committed a series of bank robberies in September 1970. The four fled to Jordan
and trained in guerrilla tactics with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
.
Upon his return from Jordan, Mahler was arrested with fellow RAF members Ingrid Schubert, Brigitte Asdonk, and Irene Goergens on 8 October 1970. He was tried and convicted for the bank robberies and for assisting a prison escape
. By 1974, Mahler had been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and had his license to practice law revoked.
). Then in 1975, the Movement 2 June
took Peter Lorenz
hostage and demanded, among others, that Mahler be freed from prison. Mahler was offered liberty, but refused it.
In 1980 Mahler was freed from prison after serving 10 years of his 14-year sentence, largely due to the efforts of his lawyer, Gerhard Schröder
(who would later become chancellor). He was granted permission to practise law again in Germany in 1988, again with the help of Schröder.
" to reestablish its national identity.
Mahler took little role in politics until an article called Zweite Steinzeit (Second Stone Age) by him appeared in the right wing paper Junge Freiheit
in 1998, explaining his conversion to Völkisch ideas. Mahler has since underlined the spiritual side of his political beliefs, whilst marrying this to anti-Semitism
, arguing that:
(Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, or NPD), an extreme nationalist party, in 2000.
The German government began a process to attempt to ban the NPD in 2001. Mahler was an attorney for the party at the time. The government, citing accusations of Volksverhetzung
(Germany's hate speech
law) against the party, petitioned the court to allow them to seize Mahler's computer assets. Mahler successfully defeated the effort.
In 2003, after the official case to ban the NPD had been rejected by the German courts, he left the party.
. Mahler announced the society with an open letter in which he stated that the objective of the group was "to eliminate the isolation of the persecuted which has dominated so far, is to guarantee the necessary public awareness of their struggle for justice, and is to provide the financial means for a successful judicial struggle."
Mahler has faced numerous charges in German courts. In 2003 he was also charged with Volksverhetzung in connection with statements he made regarding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
on the United States
-- he told the court that the incident was a concocted conspiracy and "it is not true that al-Qaeda
had anything to do with it." He was also charged for Holocaust denial
under the Volksverhetzung law in 2004 in connection with his role in the VRBHV. In 2006 his passport
was revoked by the German authorities to prevent him from attending the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
in Tehran
, Iran
, a conference identified with Holocaust denial.
, Mahler was facing new charges for Volksverhetzung. The charges stem from an interview for Vanity Fair
with Michel Friedman
(CDU
), former vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Friedman, who intended to interview Mahler about his role in the RAF, brought charges against Mahler alleging that he was greeted with a Hitler salute
and a shout of "Heil Hitler, Herr Friedman!". During the interview, Mahler told Friedman that "the systematic extermination of Jews in Auschwitz is a lie", and that Adolf Hitler
was "the savior of the German people [but] not only of the German people.”
On November 23, 2007, the Amtsgericht
Cottbus
sentenced Mahler to six months of imprisonment without parole for having according to his own claims "ironically" performed the Hitler salute
when reporting to prison for a nine-month term a year earlier.
On February 21, 2009 Mahler was sentenced to six years imprisonment, without possibility at reduction or bail, by a Munich
court of justice
; during the verdict
, the judge said that Mahler had proven "not able to be re-educated" and declared that he as a judge should stop the "nationalist rattle" and "nonsense spread" conducted by Horst Mahler. On March 11, a Potsdam
Court sentenced then 73 year old Horst Mahler to additional five years imprisonment for Holocaust denial
and banalization of Nazi war crimes; due to the perceived danger of an escape attempt, the sentence was to be immediately carried out. It is expected that Mahler will appeal the verdicts.
On March 19, 2009 Mahler's wife, former university
teacher and lawyer
Sylvia Stolz
, was also convicted and imprisoned for Holocaust denial
, for her claims that a "Jewish foreign power" ruled the German federal authorities and the Western world, and for claiming that the federal German courts practised "Allied victors' justice" by limiting free speech.
, Mahler is played by the actor Simon Licht.
(Two of the comments made by Horst Mahler that the local court of justice of Berlin
-Tiergarten
(Amtsgericht Tiergarten) used to justify the prohibition of professional activity (Berufsverbot) it issued against Mahler on 8 April 2004.)
Red Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
. Subsequently he became a Maoist
Maoism
Maoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
and later shifted to the extreme-right. He was for a time a member of the National Democratic Party of Germany
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
. He has been repeatedly convicted of Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung is a concept in German criminal law that bans the incitement of hatred against a segment of the population. It often applies in, though it is not limited to, trials relating to Holocaust denial in Germany...
("incitement of popular hatred") and Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
Life
Mahler became known as a founding member of the radical leftist Red Army FactionRed Army Faction
The radicalized were, like many in the New Left, influenced by:* Sociological developments, pressure within the educational system in and outside Europe and the U.S...
in 1970. While imprisoned he became a Maoist, but later turned sharply to the right. In 2000 he joined the NPD and represented the party in court.
In an interview to an Israeli reporter, Naftali Glicksberg, Mahler claimed that he himself is of part-Jewish descent. He described his mother telling him and his brothers while bursting into tears that they have Jewish ancestry and are ⅛ Jewish.
Education and career
Mahler studied law at the Free University of BerlinFree University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
with support of the German National Merit Foundation. In 1964 he founded a law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
in Berlin and practised microeconomic law. In 1966 he successfully argued a case before the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
.
As a young lawyer, Mahler defended Andreas Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader was one of the first leaders of the German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction, also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang.- Life :...
, Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin was a founder of the German militant group Red Army Faction . After becoming involved with co-founder Andreas Baader, Ensslin was influential in the politicization of Baader's voluntaristic anarchistic beliefs. Ensslin was perhaps the intellectual head of the RAF...
, and Rudi Dutschke
Rudi Dutschke
Alfred Willi Rudi Dutschke was the most prominent spokesperson of the German student movement of the 1960s. He advocated 'a long march through the institutions' of power to create radical change from within government and society by becoming an integral part of the machinery...
.
Early political activism
Prior to 1960, Mahler was a member of the Social Democratic Party of GermanySocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and the leftist students' association Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund
Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund
Der Sozialistische Deutsche Studentenbund was founded 1946 in Hamburg, Germany, as the college organisation of the SPD...
. He was expelled from the SPD in 1960, as were other members of the SDS, that had developed from being the SPD youth wing to a radical left-wing group. He joined the new organisation's call for "extra-parliamentary opposition", or forceful resistance Mahler joined the Ausserparlamentarische Opposition
Ausserparlamentarische Opposition
The Außerparlamentarische Opposition , was a political protest movement active in West Germany during the latter half of the 1960s and early 1970s, forming a central part of the German student movement...
in 1964.
After the attempted assassination of Rudi Dutschke
Rudi Dutschke
Alfred Willi Rudi Dutschke was the most prominent spokesperson of the German student movement of the 1960s. He advocated 'a long march through the institutions' of power to create radical change from within government and society by becoming an integral part of the machinery...
, Mahler took part in the violent protests against Springer Publishing House
Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...
. He was arrested for his involvement.
At that time, Mahler was active as a lawyer who defended students who faced criminal prosecution. By 1970 he had defended Beate Klarsfeld, Fritz Teufel
Fritz Teufel
Fritz Teufel was a prominent figure in the West German political left of the 1960s. One of the founders of Kommune 1, Teufel cultivated a theatrical, humorous public image--encapsulated in his idea of the "Spaßguerilla" . In the 1970s he rejected this image and became involved with the violent...
and Rainer Langhans (both participants of the Kommune 1
Kommune 1
Kommune 1 or K1 was the first politically-motivated commune in Germany. It was created on January 12, 1967, in West Berlin and finally dissolved in November 1969....
), the left-wing student leader Rudi Dutschke
Rudi Dutschke
Alfred Willi Rudi Dutschke was the most prominent spokesperson of the German student movement of the 1960s. He advocated 'a long march through the institutions' of power to create radical change from within government and society by becoming an integral part of the machinery...
, Peter Brandt (the eldest son of Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
), as well as subsequent RAF terrorists Andreas Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader was one of the first leaders of the German left-wing militant organization Red Army Faction, also commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang.- Life :...
and Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin
Gudrun Ensslin was a founder of the German militant group Red Army Faction . After becoming involved with co-founder Andreas Baader, Ensslin was influential in the politicization of Baader's voluntaristic anarchistic beliefs. Ensslin was perhaps the intellectual head of the RAF...
.
Founding of the RAF
Having earlier befriended Ensslin and Baader, Mahler helped plot to spring Baader from prison after his 1970 arrest. Once Baader escaped, the three, along with Ulrike MeinhofUlrike Meinhof
Ulrike Marie Meinhof was a German left-wing militant. She co-founded the Red Army Faction in 1970 after having previously worked as a journalist for the monthly left-wing magazine Konkret. She was arrested in 1972, and eventually charged with numerous murders and the formation of a criminal...
, committed a series of bank robberies in September 1970. The four fled to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and trained in guerrilla tactics with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
.
Upon his return from Jordan, Mahler was arrested with fellow RAF members Ingrid Schubert, Brigitte Asdonk, and Irene Goergens on 8 October 1970. He was tried and convicted for the bank robberies and for assisting a prison escape
Prison escape
A prison escape or prison break is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture them and return them to their original detainers...
. By 1974, Mahler had been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment and had his license to practice law revoked.
Imprisonment
Mahler penned a manifesto in prison. The rest of the Baader-Meinhof Group, however, resoundingly rejected it - effectively expelling him from the group. Mahler now advocated the policies of the KPD/AO (Organization to Rebuild the KPDCommunist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
). Then in 1975, the Movement 2 June
Movement 2 June
Movement 2 June was a West German terrorist organization that was based out of West Berlin. Active only from 1971–1980, the anarchist group was one of the few violent groups at the time in West Germany. Although Movement 2 June did not share the same ideology as the Red Army Faction , these...
took Peter Lorenz
Peter Lorenz
Peter Lorenz was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union .In 1975 Lorenz was a candidate for mayor of West Berlin. He was kidnapped by the militant Movement 2 June group three days before the elections on 27 February...
hostage and demanded, among others, that Mahler be freed from prison. Mahler was offered liberty, but refused it.
In 1980 Mahler was freed from prison after serving 10 years of his 14-year sentence, largely due to the efforts of his lawyer, Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
(who would later become chancellor). He was granted permission to practise law again in Germany in 1988, again with the help of Schröder.
Beginning of right-wing politics
Mahler made the acquaintance of political theorists Iring Fetscher and Günter Rohrmoser, who visited him in prison. While the German courts noted a change in Mahler's political posturing in the mid 1980s, he first gained attention for it at Rohrmoser's 70th birthday celebration on 1 December 1997. There Mahler gave a speech declaring that Germany was "occupied" and had to free itself from its "debt bondageDebt bondage
Debt bondage is when a person pledges him or herself against a loan. In debt bondage, the services required to repay the debt may be undefined, and the services' duration may be undefined...
" to reestablish its national identity.
Mahler took little role in politics until an article called Zweite Steinzeit (Second Stone Age) by him appeared in the right wing paper Junge Freiheit
Junge Freiheit
The Junge Freiheit is a German weekly newspaper for politics and culture, that describes itself as liberal-conservative...
in 1998, explaining his conversion to Völkisch ideas. Mahler has since underlined the spiritual side of his political beliefs, whilst marrying this to anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, arguing that:
In the German people as free self-confidence, the unity of God and Man appears in the Folk-community knowing itself. This is the existing negation of the Jewish Principle and of the haggler/bargainer as its worldly shape.
NPD
Mahler joined the National Democratic Party of GermanyNational Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
(Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, or NPD), an extreme nationalist party, in 2000.
The German government began a process to attempt to ban the NPD in 2001. Mahler was an attorney for the party at the time. The government, citing accusations of Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung is a concept in German criminal law that bans the incitement of hatred against a segment of the population. It often applies in, though it is not limited to, trials relating to Holocaust denial in Germany...
(Germany's hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
law) against the party, petitioned the court to allow them to seize Mahler's computer assets. Mahler successfully defeated the effort.
In 2003, after the official case to ban the NPD had been rejected by the German courts, he left the party.
Recent activities and new conviction
Mahler was involved in founding the Society for the Rehabilitation of Those persecuted for Refutation of the Holocaust (Verein zur Rehabilitierung der wegen Bestreitens des Holocaust Verfolgten or VRBHV) on 9 November 2003, or SchicksalstagSchicksalstag
9 November has been the date of several important events in German history. The term Schicksalstag has been occasionally used by historians and journalists since shortly after World War II, but its current widespread use started with the events of 1989 when virtually all German media picked...
. Mahler announced the society with an open letter in which he stated that the objective of the group was "to eliminate the isolation of the persecuted which has dominated so far, is to guarantee the necessary public awareness of their struggle for justice, and is to provide the financial means for a successful judicial struggle."
Mahler has faced numerous charges in German courts. In 2003 he was also charged with Volksverhetzung in connection with statements he made regarding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-- he told the court that the incident was a concocted conspiracy and "it is not true that al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
had anything to do with it." He was also charged for Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
under the Volksverhetzung law in 2004 in connection with his role in the VRBHV. In 2006 his passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
was revoked by the German authorities to prevent him from attending the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust
The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust was a two-day conference that opened on December 11, 2006, in Tehran, Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the conference sought "neither to deny nor prove the Holocaust.....
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, a conference identified with Holocaust denial.
, Mahler was facing new charges for Volksverhetzung. The charges stem from an interview for Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
with Michel Friedman
Michel Friedman
Michel Friedman is a German lawyer, former CDU politician and talk show host. From 2000 to 2003 Friedman was vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and president of the European Jewish Congress from 2001 to 2003. From 1998 to 2003 he had his own show on German television...
(CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
), former vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Friedman, who intended to interview Mahler about his role in the RAF, brought charges against Mahler alleging that he was greeted with a Hitler salute
Hitler salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
and a shout of "Heil Hitler, Herr Friedman!". During the interview, Mahler told Friedman that "the systematic extermination of Jews in Auschwitz is a lie", and that Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
was "the savior of the German people [but] not only of the German people.”
On November 23, 2007, the Amtsgericht
Amtsgericht
Amtsgericht is German for Local District Court, situated in Germany in almost every larger capital of a rural district.It mainly acts in Civil and Criminal law affairs. It forms the lowest level of the so-called ordinary jurisdiction of the German judiciary , which is responsible for most criminal...
Cottbus
Cottbus
Cottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree. As of , its population was .- History :...
sentenced Mahler to six months of imprisonment without parole for having according to his own claims "ironically" performed the Hitler salute
Nazi salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
when reporting to prison for a nine-month term a year earlier.
On February 21, 2009 Mahler was sentenced to six years imprisonment, without possibility at reduction or bail, by a Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
court of justice
Court of Justice
Court of Justice may refer to:*Caribbean Court of Justice*Court of Justice of the European Union*International Court of Justice*Court of Justice *Ontario Court of Justice...
; during the verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
, the judge said that Mahler had proven "not able to be re-educated" and declared that he as a judge should stop the "nationalist rattle" and "nonsense spread" conducted by Horst Mahler. On March 11, a Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
Court sentenced then 73 year old Horst Mahler to additional five years imprisonment for Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
and banalization of Nazi war crimes; due to the perceived danger of an escape attempt, the sentence was to be immediately carried out. It is expected that Mahler will appeal the verdicts.
On March 19, 2009 Mahler's wife, former university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
teacher and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Sylvia Stolz
Sylvia Stolz
Sylvia Stolz is a German lawyer who defended Ernst Zündel at his trial for denying the Holocaust in February 2007. During that trial she called the Holocaust “the biggest lie in world history.” Zundel was convicted and is serving five years in prison...
, was also convicted and imprisoned for Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, for her claims that a "Jewish foreign power" ruled the German federal authorities and the Western world, and for claiming that the federal German courts practised "Allied victors' justice" by limiting free speech.
In Film
In the 2008 film Der Baader Meinhof Complex, directed by Uli EdelUli Edel
Uli Edel is a German film director.-Work:After studying theatre science in Munich, he was accepted into Munich Film School alongside Bernd Eichinger. Uli befriended him and they started working together on their exercise movies, sharing a love for the nouvelle vague and Italian neorealism as well...
, Mahler is played by the actor Simon Licht.
Quotes
- "The destruction of the Jews is an act of reason..." ("In der Vernichtung der Juden waltet Vernunft...")
- "Billions of people would be ready to forgive Hitler if he had murdered only the Jews" ("Milliarden Menschen wären bereit, Hitler zu verzeihen, wenn er nur den Judenmord begangen hätte") Another possible translation: "Billions of people would be ready to forgive Hitler if only he had committed the murder of the Jews".
(Two of the comments made by Horst Mahler that the local court of justice of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-Tiergarten
Tiergarten
Tiergarten is a locality within the borough of Mitte, in central Berlin . Notable for the great and homonymous urban park, before German reunification, it was a part of West Berlin...
(Amtsgericht Tiergarten) used to justify the prohibition of professional activity (Berufsverbot) it issued against Mahler on 8 April 2004.)