Aug 7, 2003
ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny: Now more than ever!
Last night I had a long call from Paul Fromm, Ernst's legal
representative on location. Paul wanted me to know that Ernst wants me to be
sure he is not being physically mistreated. Do I feel reassured? Maybe.
Maybe a little. Apparently the picture that upset me so - that showed Ernst
with a large, red bruise on his face and ear and blood and blisters on his
lips - was taken not where he is now but back in February, through a window,
as he was being hauled in chains from one prison to another. I was told that
sometimes reporters enhance such photographs.
Also, Ernst has told me many times that the supervisors in
his current prison, and in most of the others where he was kept before, do
try to make his life a little more human, a little more bearable - but they
are working under the constraints of a repressive, brutal prison atmosphere
where violent criminals cannot be trusted with a chair because in their rage
they might hurl it at a guard who only does his duty. Such prisoners cannot
be given a pillow because they might stuff it into a toilet and create a
stinking mess some lowly guard, who has no choice either, then has to clean
up. They cannot be given a pen because it might become a stabbing weapon or
even a suicide tool. They cannot be given a toothbrush because
you-fill-in-the-blanks if you care. So it's kept on the floor in the hall.
All that may well be true. I am sure it is true. That still
leaves open the question: What is Ernst Zundel doing in that environment? Is
there no recourse to force a decision on bail? Why is Ernst not allowed to
wave a greeting at an old friend who has supported his struggle for forty
years out of his own financially marginal existence? What has Ernst done to
have to be subjected to strip searches, after a hearing he was forced to
attend to be insulted non-stop by his hissing enemies, where he is
surrounded by law enforcement personnel who won't even permit him to talk to
a lawyer who had traveled thousands of miles to give testimony of Ernst's
lawful behavior in the U.S., of Ernst's obeying all the bureaucratic rules,
of doing absolutely everything according to the book? Did you read that in
the National Post? Of course not!
There's nothing that will justify that kind of degrading
treatment! It is unworthy of a country that still claims to be civilized!
Last night I also found out that there is a hotel in Toronto
that's being used for detainees of questionable immigration status. Is life
more tolerable there? Were Ernst to be transferred to that place, might he
be allowed to sleep in a bed for a chance, instead of on a concrete slab
only covered with a thin mattress? Might the food be better at breakfast
than what he is currently fed through a slot in the door that consists of
two pieces of dry toast - no butter, no jam - and a small plastic pouch of
milk for an equally small portion of cereal and a small styrofoam cup of
over-sweetened "coffee" a rat wouldn't touch?
I have no reason to think the supervisors of such a prison
actually approve of the way Ernst has to cope. Ernst has said many kind
things about them, to me and to others. He says that these men do their
duty, according to their job descriptions. They may have no options. They
genuinely may not know what to do with a non-criminal dissident and may even
endanger their jobs of they allow exceptions to inhuman treatment of a
non-violent political prisoner. But can they not go somewhere to talk to
someone in authority and say: "This man does not belong here! This
place is killing him!"? Is there a reason why they cannot testify on
Ernst's behalf that a prison filled to the seams with violent criminals
should not be used as a political vendetta dumping ground for a lone
activist who has never done anything criminal in 40 years of living in a
country? Would an Open Letter of Protest by prison authorities to a national
paper - let's say, the National Post - even get published? Would anybody
like to bet?
I am a big believer in spreading precise thoughts in quotes
that have come down to us from previous generations. Here's one such David
Thoreau quote that fits the occasion: "There are a thousand hacking at
the branches to one who is striking at its roots."
The word is now out, and no one is fooled. Ernst struck at
the roots that is supporting evil. He dismantled the Holocaust Hoax via
forensic evidence. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, all over the
world now know that. So do the Wiesenthalers and their ilk. I wouldn't want
to walk around in Wiesenthaler shoes.
There will be another "Free Zundel" demonstration
this Sunday. If you can be there, be there. If not, send a message that can
be read aloud - for the cause, for the record and for our archives.
Here are specifics of this demo:
[START]
Dear Free Speech Supporter:
The Canadian Association for Free Expression is holding a
demonstration outside the Metro West Detention Centre (111 Disco Drive) in
Etobicoke on Sunday, August 10, at 2:00 p.m. The purpose of the
demonstration is to demand humane treatment for political prisoner Ernst
Zundel. He's kept in solitary confinement without a pillow, a chair, pen,
post-it notes, hardcover books or highlighters. His personal toiletries
are kept in a public hall outside his cell.
Federal Judge Pierre Blais said last week: "Even in
mediaeval times, prisoners were allowed to use pen and paper. I also have
respect for Mr. Zundel. He is not a criminal. He is entitled to a little
bit of flexibility."
The strip searches, the denial of regular phone calls,
sometimes the denial of the use of a razor, all of these humiliations are
efforts to break Ernst Zundel and to punish him for his ideas.
If we believe in freedom, we must protest!
Please read my report on the sickening treatment Ernst
must endure. He has a lump in his chest and has been denied his herbal
medications. His first medical examination last week was a x-ray of his
lungs. The test was utterly useless for examining the lump that has grown
beneath his sternum.
I'm asking for an hour of your time, whether you're 19 or
79. Ernst has given 6 months! We each enjoy freedom and much physical
comfort. Ernst sickens inside a jail without a pillow, without proper
medication.
Let's protest and stand with him.
Let's let Ernst and the world know by our presence that he
is NOT forgotten. A number of free speech groups from across the province
will be joining us.
The demo will be at 2:00 p.m., (but let's say 1:30)
Sunday, August 10, 2003, at the Metro West Detention Centre (111 Disco
Road). Call the prison for the best directions: 416-675-1806
Bring the old Red Ensign flag, if you have one. If you're
an American, bring the U.S. flag or the battle flag of the Confederacy.
Our slogans will be "Ernst Zundel, Political
Prisoner"; "Free Zundel"; "No Secret Trials". You
can make up posters with these slogans. (...)
E-mail me or phone 905-8997-7221, if you need further
information.
If you live out of town or cannot attend, why not send a
short message of support. It will be read at the protest. Our June 1
protest brought in more than 50 letters of support, including ones for six
foreign countries and 10 U.S. states.
Paul Fromm
Director
CANADIAN
ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION
[END]
Write to Canada's Immigration Minister and complain
over the unfair treatment Ernst Zündel has received.
Immigration Minister Denis Coderre
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 995-6108
Fax: (613) 995-9755
Email: Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca |
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