ZGram - 4/21/2004 - Hunger strike put on hold after Canadian
Embassy contact
zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org
zgrams at zgrams.zundelsite.org
Wed Apr 21 08:51:59 EDT 2004
ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny: Now more than ever!
April 21, 2004
Good Morning from the Zundelsite:
There is some misunderstanding even in our ranks about the purpose of
a hunger strike. Primarily, is not meant to dramatize our cause. It
is not meant to showcase my resilience. It is not meant to blackmail
our opponent. It is not even meant to force mainstream media to pay
attention to a dramatic spectacle with gruesome visuals of Ingrid
starving herself to a skeleton. All those are mere side shows.
***A politically effective hunger strike is meant to force
concessions, leading to negotiations perceived as useful to both
sides.***
This outcome was already partially achieved when I succeeded in
meeting with, and presenting our case to, my representative, Rep.
William Jenkins, in a constructive face to face meeting I had not
been previously able to arrange, despite much effort on my part and
many faxes from our supporters. I had originally set my deadline for
a Freeport hunger strike for April 19, but after a very promising
meeting I finally succeeded in arranging, I gladly abandoned both
date and location for a hunger strike in Freeport, TN and, instead,
moved both time and location to Washington, D.C. Why would I want to
put myself into a hunger strike in Freeport when I achieved what I
had wanted to achieve without a hunger strike? There was no need for
it.
But that was only an initial victory. The next stage was in sight.
With my foot in the door and having succeeded in calmly presenting
the severity as well as righteousness of our plight to Mr. Jenkins,
who listened sympathetically and must have come away from it
convinced that I didn't wear any horns, I announced to my Internet
friends as well as to my mailing list of thousands in 43 countries
that I would move the hunger strike date forward to May 1st to give
myself some time to scout out a new location and see what might be
done in Washington, D.C.
This was the purpose of my trip to our capital, which I undertook on
Saturday, April 17, in the company of two supporters who had come to
visit me in Tennessee. Since one of them was flying back to Europe
out of Washington, it saved me the expenses of at least half of the
trip if I just rode along and took a rental car to get back home as
soon as my reconnaissance mission was finished.
This we did, and the report below is to give you a feel for what our
reconnaissance turned out to be, and what we have achieved, as well
as where we hope it to lead.
The 8-hour drive itself was pleasant. The weather was on our side,
and I enjoyed driving through the eastern part of the US that I had
never seen before. A few days before, another sponsor couple had
offered me logistic support and free lodging in their lovely home in
Springfield, Virginia, which I gladly accepted and greatly enjoyed.
Since the next day was a Sunday, it gave me a chance to relax and get
my mind in the right frame for what I expected to be a hostile
encounter in the Canadian Embassy, the next target of my determined
political protest.
Two days before I left for Washington, I had announced that I would
come to speak with the Ambassador of Canada. Knowing our enemies'
aggravating tactic of stalling us for months and months on end before
an appointment or a court date is set, I had not asked for an
appointment; I simply announced that I would come to make sure that
the ambassador understood that I was serious, and to make sure I did
not transgress against any rules and regulations about a political
protest in such a high-visibility way.
My host, an experienced translator of governmental and corporate
documents, graciously offered to accompany me. I had also made
arrangements for a professional video-taping of my entering what my
host half-jokingly called "the belly of the beast". As we were
coming down the wide steps from the backside of the building, where
we had parked our car, I could see that the taping action was already
taking place, kind of surreptitiously. I have that video tape, and
in a few days you will be able to preview it on the Zundelsite as yet
another document in our struggle to obtain my husband's freedom.
I asked my escort, Walt, to write up for history what would be
happening next. In part, I will be quoting from his report, already
filed in a safe place in its entirety:
Walt:
"DISCLAIMER: The following are my paraphrased reflections of our
visit to the Canadian Embassy. I am quite sure that our conversation
in the foyer was recorded, and that transcriptions therefrom may be
forwarded to concerned parties in Canada:
"We arrived at the Canadian Embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington DC 20001 on Monday, April 19, 2004 just shortly after
10:00 a.m. The American security personnel at the embassy foyer asked
Dr. Ingrid Zündel to state the purpose of her visit, to which she
responded that she wished to discuss the plight of her husband, Ernst
Zündel and his incarceration in Canada as a political prisoner."
[Ingrid's comment: I had mentally rehearsed what I would say,
knowing I would encounter resistance. What I said, as I remember it,
is that I did not have an appointment, but that I had come to discuss
the plight of my husband, a high profile political prisoner held in
illegal custody in Canada. I not get all of that in as calmly and
assertively as I had rehearsed it in my mind, but enough to cause a
startled and confused look in response to my announcement.]
Walt:
"Ingrid stated that she had faxed the ambassador a letter informing
him of her intentions to visit him. After a minute or two of what
seemed to be perplexity and indecision on the part of the guard, he
finally summoned a Canadian Embassy official from the confines of the
embassy while another guard checked our identification cards and
processed us through electronic security.
"Upon passing through electronic security, Ingrid was met by a
Canadian embassy official to whom she stated her name, nationality
and purpose of visit. From her brief conversation with the embassy
official, it was evident that he was completely unfamiliar with the
Ernst Zündel case, so Ingrid chronologically summarized the facts of
the case for his edification. Furthermore, she expressed her grave
concerns over the implications of an international incident due to
the egregious manner in which Ernst Zündel was expelled from the
United States and immediately incarcerated in Canada."
[Ingrid's comment: I had taken along three fat folders of
testimonials and endorsements from Zundel supporters from more than
30 countries, which I intended to hand to the ambassador for his
perusal, so he would know that I came fortified. I fully expected
that briefcase to be confiscated and copied; however, that did not
happen, much to my surprise. We passed a perfunctory screening. Now
Walt and I stood inside the lobby, waiting patiently for what would
happen next.]
Walt:
"The embassy official informed Ingrid that he was uncertain as to the
current whereabouts of the Canadian ambassador. He suggested the
likelihood that the ambassador might be out of town. In any event,
the official took notes and accepted reference material from Ingrid,
after which he instructed us to wait in the embassy foyer while he
summoned another official.
"After a wait of approximately a quarter of an hour, the Consul
General emerged and cordially greeted us. The Consul General informed
us that although his function at the embassy primarily concerns
international relations, he agreed to meet with us nonetheless, and
added that he was already somewhat familiar with the Zündel case. He
invited us to join him in the foyer while he listened and asked
questions for approximately thirty minutes."
[Ingrid's comment: Actually, our wait seemed to me much longer than
just 15 minutes. It seemed more like 30 to 45 minutes. At one
point, I asked Walt, as I remember it: "What do you think this means
that it takes them so long?" and he replied: "They're checking.
They're checking." We both agreed that that was a positive sign.
They could have simply told us to go away and to return another day,
replete with pre-set appointment, which would have been the coward's
way out. Instead, we were given the honor of a meeting with the
Embassy's highest functionary - the Ambassador being, more or less,
the ceremonial figure head, as I would later learn.
The Consul General, a man of slight built but very steady eyes, gave
us his card and asked courteously but, so it seemed to me, rather
coldly why we had come. I said that I had come to talk to someone in
authority. Could I please talk to him?
He motioned to a sectional in the rather elegant and impressive
foyer, and the three of us sat down. I was aware in an icy calm
within my heart, and I knew I would summarize well, finding just the
right tone to soften the guarded look in the Consul General's eyes.]
Walt:
"After briefly explaining her relationship to Ernst Zündel and
providing the Consul General with a brief chronology of events
surrounding his case. Ingrid reassured the Consul General that she
and Ernst Zündel have only the highest regard for Canada, and that
they share a deep sense of appreciation for the countless
opportunities Canadian life has accorded them."
[Ingrid's comment: Actually, what I talked about was my regard for
the Canada I once knew but NOT the country of today - the civilized
land I had entered as a young, helpless, spiritually wounded
immigrant out of a Third World country, a Canada that had put its
arms around me and given me a start in education. I spoke with
passion of the fair and decent country that I remembered fondly from
my youth. The Canada of yesterday was not, I stressed, the country
of today. The Canada the world now watched, aghast, ran roughshod
over human rights. It was a country in the hands of alien interests
who cared nothing about human rights, who were hurting the country's
human rights' image by brutally settling a private agenda. I said
that I could sense that, with a new administration struggling to
ameliorate the gross abuses of the Chretién Administration and to
repair its tattered prestige, Canada might be amenable to take a
second look at what was increasingly becoming a huge liability - the
kidnapping and incarceration of a high profile pacifist from the
United States.]
Walt:
"Given the advent of Canada's new administration, Ingrid proposed
that it might now be in everyone's interest if she were to initiate
and actively pursue a quiet and meaningful dialog with U.S.
congressmen and Canadian diplomatic officials so as to avert what has
now become an internationally politicized cause célèbre over the
perception of judicial excesses, improprieties and official
stonewalling. Ingrid mentioned instances whereby the Canadian news
media, Amnesty International and other main stream venues have
already started to publicly express alarm and outrage over Canada's
abuse and denial of Ernst Zündel's civil rights. Additionally, Ingrid
mentioned that she believes there is mounting evidence indicating
collusion between U.S. and Canadian authorities weeks prior to
Zündel's putative infraction for which he was deported to Canada."
[Ingrid's comment: Up to that point, the Consul General had listened
carefully but showing no emotion in his face. When I mentioned, very
briefly, that we had documented information, obtained through the
Freedom of Information Act, about illegal shenanigans involving
Canadian officials and organizations clearly involved in Ernst's
deportation, something changed in his expression. I can easily
imagine, but I'd rather not speculate on, what the Consul General
must have thought at that moment of his own nationals - or those who
pass for nationals, their loyalties elsewhere - ]
Walt:
"After Ingrid finished speaking, I mentioned to the Consul General
that neither Ernst Zündel, Ingrid, their legal staff-- not even the
magistrate adjudicating this case--have the slightest inkling of Mr.
Zündel's so-called crime or crimes for which he has been incarcerated
for the past fourteen months. The wording of Zündel's "Security
Certificate" is so inherently vague and all-sweeping, it was
tantamount to guilt by innuendo. I reminded the Consul General of the
current spate of judicial abuses here in the United States, such that
the civil rights of Americans were being systematically abrogated by
the U.S. Department of Justice on similar vaguely worded "catch-all"
laws. Thanks to the publicity and intervention of the American Civil
Liberties Union and citizen watchdog groups, these incarcerations
have since been ruled as illegal, and the victims of the U.S. justice
system have been duly released."
[Ingrid's comment: Inside myself, I did not feel that this is quite
the case as yet. There might have been exceptions. But I believe
that there is far too little attention, and far too much tolerance,
for judicial abuses so rampant in and so destructive to America. I
read about them every day. Ashcoft's shock troops admit to having
picked up some 500 cruelly targeted victims under false pretenses,
without due process, without any recourse to attorneys, lawful
remedies etc. - when, in fact, the number of such victims is
reportedly as high as 5,000 ! Not everybody has as high a profile as
Ernst Zundel, which makes our case all the more relevant on
principle, not just for his sake, but for all who have been unjustly
imprisoned.]
Walt:
"Ingrid asserted that if Ernst Zündel had been living in Canada for
more than forty years prior to his incarceration and never broken the
law, to say nothing of ever posing a security threat to Canada, then
why would someone, presumably a high-level Canadian authority, single
out Ernst Zündel as a national threat? Indeed, if the Canadian
government would simply come forward and disclose its legal line of
reasoning and/or cold hard evidence of Mr. Zündel's putative criminal
behavior, then perhaps a proper legal defense might be established,
otherwise one has to wonder and assume the worst.
"From the standpoint of Canadian prestige as a democratic country, it
would do much to dispel growing concerns as to whether the civil
rights of Canadians are indeed being systematically eroded by
Canada's system of justice. Ingrid asked the Consul General if he
were familiar with the restrictions on conducting demonstrations in
front of the Canadian embassy, and he suggested that she consult with
the Washington, DC police."
[Ingrid's comment: My clear impression was that, at this juncture,
referring to my announced hunger strike, I hit a real nerve. I did
not stress this heavily, but I let it be known that, as a last
resort, I would go ahead with my hunger strike right outside the
Embassy doors. I stressed that I would much prefer the quiet
diplomatic route. I told the Consul General that, for example, it
would be enormously helpful if he would do two things for me: First,
help facilitate a personal meeting with the Acting Director of
Immigration Enforcement, Mr. Timothy Haugh, so that we could unravel
what could pass as a bureaucratic snafu, if that's the fig leaf U.S.
government would want to use to hide its own misdeeds, and secondly,
to help facilitate a meeting with the Canadian counterpart, the
Honorable Minister of __________ Ms. Anne McClellan. I said that I
intended soon to visit the McLellan office in the company of both
U.S. as well as Canadian businessmen, media, attorneys - a
fact-finding delegation preferably led by a U.S. congressman or
senator, to explore what might be done.
At that point, the Consul General said something that is noteworthy:
"Why would a Congressman want to do that?" and I locked eyes with
him and let my own eyes speak.]
Walt:
"Inasmuch as it was Ingrid's first meeting with officials at the
Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, and as everyone with whom we
spoke impressed us as genuinely concerned, helpful and engaging, it
seemed clear that a promising new door had opened. The Consul General
gave Ingrid his assurances that he would pursue the Zündel case by
reviewing her reference materials and contacting the appropriate
authorities in Canada. He also informed Ingrid that he would follow
up with her as well."
That's where we left it, and I drove back that afternoon, after
having ascertained the location of the Herrington Hotel that I intend
to use in case there is no action and I need to come back for my
hunger strike protest. I have since consulted with several advisors
as well as with Ernst, and the consensus is that we ought not to
jeopardize the inroads we have made with this Embassy contact by
going ahead with the hunger strike NOW.
Instead, we should be very clear that a hunger strike is our ultimate
weapon, still in reserve and by no means abandoned. However, we are
willing to postpone such drastic action until such time when it is
needed and will have major impact. That is our strategy as of today.
I will spend all of today getting additional material ready for the
Consul General, which I will speedily FedEx to him. I will also
contact media, businessmen, and my own legal troops in a tentative
strategy to travel to Canada to meet with Minister Anne McLellan, who
- since she has inherited the mess the corrupt Chretién government
has left behind, including the botched Zundel kidnapping which turned
into a sore on the Canadian body politic - has every reason to be
listening.
I hope to have much more for you tomorrow.
Stay tuned - and NO SURRENDER!
Ingrid Zundel
=====
Reminder:
Help free Ernst Zundel, Prisoner of Conscience. His prison sketches
- now on-line and highly popular - help pay for his defense. Take a
look - and tell a friend.
http://www.zundelsite.org/gallery/donations/index.html
=====
More information about the Zgrams
mailing list