ThoughtCrime: 05/07/82
Germany Orders Revisionist Book Seized
A German court has ordered that all copies of the book, Der Auschwitz-Mythos
(The Auschwitz Myth) be seized. In addition, it has been ordered that
the type from which it was printed be destroyed. The book was written
by Dr. Wilhelm Stäglich, a retired German judge, in 1979.
Dr. Stäglich, who was stationed at Auschwitz in 1944 saw stark
contrasts between his own experiences and the common notions about the
camp. Stäglich writes in his volume,
"I never noticed mistreatments of internees nor, in particular,
any sign- such as clouds of smoke or the stench of burning corpses
- of the mass extermination of human beings."
The prosecution asked for the book to be banned on the grounds that
it incited hatred against Jews. The court ruled that because Stäglich
had distorted "historical facts" in his volume, that he had deprived
himself of the constitutional right of free expression.
Neither Stäglich nor his publisher will be directly punished
for Der Auschwitz-Mythos because prosecution for publishing
and press offenses must be initiated within six months of the date of
publication.
Dr. Stäglich earned his doctorate in law at the University of
Göttingen and then served for twenty years in the judiciary of the West
German city of Hamburg.
Adapted from: Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8 May 1982,
London Jewish Chronicle, 21 May 1982.
Note: An English edition of Dr. Stäglich's book, Auschwitz: A Judge
Looks at the Evidence is available from : IHR, PO Box 2739 Newport
Beach, CA 92659.
"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."
George Orwell
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