Gerd Honsik

Gerd Honsik (born 10 October 1941 in Vienna) is an Austrian writer and lyric poet, and a prominent Holocaust denier.[1]

Life

Honsik was a functionary in the Austrian "Volksbewegung"[2] ("People's Movement"), also known as "Volksbewegung gegen Überfremdung" ("People's Movement against Foreign Infiltration") and "Ausländer-Halt-Bewegung" ("No More Foreigners Movement"),[3] as well as in Austria's far-right NDP party.[2] He was the founder of a militia group, the Nationale Front, which according to its manifesto carried out activities to effect "the abolition of the system".[4][5]

He has also appeared under the pseudonym "Gerhon Endsik",[6] an anagram of the syllables of his name extended by two letters, intended to allude to the (politically charged) German term Endsieg ("final victory").

Honsik has been fined and sentenced to jail in several Austrian court cases due to his activities as a Holocaust denier.[2] He evaded his most recent sentence by fleeing the country,[7] and residing in Spain until 24 August 2007[8] when he was arrested in Málaga[9] after a recent change in Spanish legislation. On the 4th of October 2007[10] Honsik was extradited to Austria to serve out an 18-month prison sentence stemming from a 1992 conviction for Holocaust denial.[7] Spain had previously refused requests to extradite Honsik because Holocaust denial and neo-Nazi propaganda were not illegal in that country. Honsik was only extradited after two European-wide arrest warrants were issued at Austria's request.[11]

While in Spain Honsik contributed to the magazine Halt ("Stop") at irregular intervals.[12] The magazine publishes Holocaust-denying and anti-Semitic articles. Honsik also wrote a book, "Hitler Innocent?",[13] in which he attempts to justify some Nazi-era crimes.

On 27 April 2009, Honsik was sentenced to five years in prison in Austria for propagating Holocaust denial,[14] later reduced to four years.[15] The prosecutor argued that Honsik is "one of the ideological leaders" of Europe's neo-Nazi movement and that his distribution of "hate magazines" at schools violated Austrian law. During the trial, Honsik called himself "a social democrat" and stated that he only "rejected the textbook wisdom that demonizes National Socialism" and he only denied the existence of the gas chambers used in concentration camps "wherever I had not verified the (facts) myself". At one point, Honsik began screaming and pounding his fists after the judge denied his requests to introduce evidence which the court had deemed irrelevant.[11]

Honsik denied the charges and said he would appeal the verdict; the prosecutor stated that he also would appeal to seek a longer jail-term of up to 20 years.[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Die nationale Internationale. In: Wolfgang Purtscheller (editor): Die Ordnung, die sie meinen. »Neue Rechte« in Österreich. Picus, Vienna, 1994, ISBN 3-85452-256-8. (German)
  2. 1 2 3 Rechtsextreme Funktionäre, Aktivisten und Ideologen: H Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance. (German)
  3. ↑ Volksbewegung / auch: Volksbewegung gegen Überfremdung; Ausländer-Halt-Bewegung Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance. (German)
  4. ↑ Straches Kontakte zur Wiking-Jugend Die Presse, 23 August 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2010. (German)
  5. ↑ Strache: "Ich kenne Herrn Honsik nicht" ORF, 19 June 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2010. (German)
  6. ↑ Thomas Grumke, Bernd Wagner (2002). Handbuch Rechtsradikalismus: Personen, Organisationen, Netzwerke : vom Neonazismus bis in die Mitte der Gesellschaft. Leske + Budrich. p. 264. ISBN 9783810033994. Preview at Google Books. (German)
  7. 1 2 OLG bestätigt Urteil für Gerd Honsik ORF, 3 December 2007. (German)
  8. ↑ Spain arrests fugitive Austrian Holocaust denier - Israel Jewish Scene, Ynetnews
  9. ↑ Holocaust-Leugner Honsik erneut angeklagt ORF, 2 May 2008. (German)
  10. ↑ Spain extradites Austrian author for Holocaust denial | Jerusalem Post
  11. 1 2 3 Holocaust denier jailed in Austria, Reuters (reprinted by Canada.com), 27 April 2009.
  12. ↑ Stephen E. Atkins (2009). "German Holocaust Deniers". Holocaust Denial as an International Movement. ABC-CLIO. pp. 109–110. ISBN 9780313345388. Preview at Google Books.
  13. ↑ Gerd Honsik: Freispruch für Hitler? Holocaust-Referenz: Argumente gegen Auschwitzleugner. (German)
  14. ↑ Fünf Jahre Haft für Gerd Honsik ORF, 27 April 2009. (German)
  15. ↑ Milde für Honsik: Nur mehr vier Jahre Haft ORF, 1 March 2010. (German)
Much of this article is translated from the German wikipedia article of March 5th 2007
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