Holocaust Denial on the Rise in Germany?

It is disappointing to write about this the day before we commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp which happened on January 27, 1945. According to a report in the Lübecker Nachrichten a member of the right-wing AfD Party ("Alternative for Germany") gave a presentation at a public forum where he claimed that Germany had nothing to do with the start of the Second World War:

Der Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges sei, entgegen der Forschungsmeinung, nicht von Hitler geplant gewesen. Die Alliierten hätten eine „erbarmungslose Propaganda“ verfolgt. Dann zitiert er Carl Schmitt, einen Juristen, der wegen seines Einsatzes für die Nationalsozialisten höchst umstritten ist.

(Contrary to the consensus of historians, Hitler did not plan the start of the Second World War. This is only the result of "relentless propaganda" by the Allied Forces. Then he quoted Carl Schmitt, a legal scholar who is highly controversial because of his strong endorsement of National Socialism.")

Even worse, Dirk Helms - the AfD man - had a revisionist theory of the Holocaust:

Seine Ausführungen gehen weiter: Im Konzentrationslager Dachau seien erst im Nachhinein von den Alliierten Gaskammern eingerichtet worden — um zu täuschen. Dann berichtet er von einem angeblichen KZ-Überlebenden, der Schülern eine ausgedachte Geschichte erzählt habe, jedoch nie ein KZ von innen gesehen habe. Nach dem Vortrag gibt‘s Applaus, aber auch ein wenig Kritik.

("He continued his presentation: The Allied Forces constructed the gas chambers after the fact at the Dachau concentration camp - in order to deceive everybody.  Then he talked about an alleged survivor of the camps who told school children a fabricated story but who in fact had never been in a camp.  After the speech there was applause, but also some criticism.")

With this statement Herr Helms clearly violated Paragraph 130 of the German Criminal Code:

(3) Whosoever publicly or in a meeting approves of, denies or downplays an act committed under the rule of National Socialism of the kind indicated in section 6 (1) of the Code of International Criminal Law, in a manner capable of disturbing the public peace shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine

I am not a supporter of such laws against incitement (Volksverhetzung) but they appear to be selectively enforced.

In general, one speech like this would appear to be harmless, but the fact that a growing number of Germans actually believe speakers like Dirk Helms is disturbing: the AfD is now polling as the 3rd largest political party in Germany.  Many people reject everything they learned in school or read in the newspapers.  One member of the audience shouted: „Die lügen mich jeden Tag an! Und deshalb bin ich hier!“ ("They lie to me every day.  That's why I'm here!") More and more people turn to "alternative media" such as Ken Jebsen's KenFM - Jebsen claims the Holocaust was nothing more than a PR stunt. 

Comments

[D]

Moin! You should have mentioned that it happend in october 2014.

[KR]

Suche

Ich kam zurück in die Stadt,
in der ich ein Kind war
und ein Jüngling und ein dreißigjähriger Greis.
Die Stadt begrüßte mich mit Gleichmut
Und die Lautsprecher ihrer Straßen flüsterten:
Siehst du nicht, dass das Feuer immer noch lodert,
hörst du nicht die Flammen knistern?
Geh fort.
Suche woanders.
Suche.
Suche die wahre Heimat.

Adam Zagajewski

[James]

Holocaust denial in Iran, from the leader: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran/VIDEO-Its-not-clear-if-the-Holocaust-is-a-reality-or-not-Irans-supreme-leader-says-443006

[Zyme]

David do you also believe the AFD is about falsifying the past and not about correcting the present?

It is high time our biased media get their backs thrashed. Whenever I see their ways of dealing with AFD personnel in public broadcasting corporations it makes me want to throw up.

Consequently (while I never was a fan of the Kaczynskis) I can fully relate to our Polish neighbours. When you had this media to endure, it is all too tempting making the wind blow from a different direction :)