The Zundelsite - On the cusp of an organized Ernst Zundel Defense

May 23, 2003

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny: Now more than ever!

We are now on the cusp of an organized defense for Ernst Zundel. Yesterday, the protest picketing in front of the Canadian Embassy in Los Angeles went well, according to Mark Weber of the IHR. Since the protest was kept quiet until just the day before to prevent the street rabble, all too often unleashed on us by our enemies, from being mobilized, only 10 people showed up, but the Consul came out to greet the demonstrators and accepted a formal complaint and request on behalf of Ernst Zundel. Later in the day, I expect to have a fuller report from Mark Weber for our archives.

The Protest in Los Angeles

The Seattle protest, unfortunately, seems to have fizzled out. I was told that the wrong email list was mistakenly used to rally demonstrators, and only four people showed up. However, just to show you how closely every one of our moves are followed, there were "...about six uniformed cops, half-a-dozen plainclothesmen, and one or two spooky-looking dudes in civvies." The young people in Seattle are inexperienced with this sort of thing, and clearly our enemies are more on their toes than many of us are. There is a lot to learn.

However, this is only the beginning. Just now I received a copy of a formal letter sent by the Friends of Freedom of Speech to the Canadian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, protesting the inhuman and degrading treatment of Ernst Zundel. There will be more, and we will not let up.

Meanwhile, Paul Fromm of the Canadian Association for Free Expression sent the following letter to Mike Richard of the Metro West Detention Centre, with a copy to Bob Runciman, Minister of Public Safety and Security:

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Canadian Association for Free Expression

Box 332, Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 5L3

Ph: 905-897-7221; FAX: 905-277-3914

Paul Fromm, B.Ed, M.A. Director

May 22, 2003

Mr. Mike Richard,

Security Director,

Metro West Detention Centre,

111 Disco Road,

Rexdale, Ontario,

M9W 1M3

BY FAX 416-674-7515

Dear Mr. Richard:

As you know, I visited Ernst Zundel yesterday as his legal representative. Quite frankly, what I was told and what I observed is most disturbing.

Some weeks ago, I spoke on Mr. Zundel's behalf to Mr. Chris Burtchall of the Ministry of Public Safety and Security in the North Bay office. He assured me that your Ministry abides by the United Nations' standards for the treatment of prisoners and exceeds them.

I took that as a serious promise from an honourable public servant. Thus, I find the conditions that political prisoner Ernst Zundel must endure appalling and unacceptable.

I was informed by Staff Supervisor Verrinder when I visited the Detention Centre on Sunday, May 18, that Mr. Zundel is a "special" prisoner. Indeed, he is. He is accused or no crime; he is chargd with no crime. He is incarcerated solely for his political views; he is, in a word, a political prisoner. He is a nature man -- 64 years of age. He has been a very successful graphic artist and businessman. He has no history of violence, either against himself or others. He is a pacifist. The CSIS report submitted as part of the Crown's case in the current proceedings in Federal Court against Mr. Zundel concedes that "ZUNDEL has virtually no history of direct personal engagement in acts of serious violence." (p.2)

Unlike many of those in your institution, Mr. Zundel is not violent.

I ask that he be treated in a manner appropriate to his age and station in life.

1. I was appalled to learn that Mr. Zundel's soap, towel and toothbrush are kept on the floor outside his cell and that he must ask a guard for them. If he goes to the toilet, he must ask for soap and towel and wait for a guard to bring them to him. Such delays are unsanitary. Keeping his toothbrush in the hall is also unsanitary. I request that he be allowed to keep his toiletries in his cell.

2. Mr. Zundel was grizzled and unshaven when I saw him. He explained that he'd asked for a razor each day and had been told: "Maybe, tomorrow." Such treatment is petty and degrading. A man has a right to keep himself properly groomed. I ask that Mr. Zundel be granted use of a razor each day.

3. A prisoner should have reasonable opportunity to communicate with the outside world. Mr. Zundel reported that he'd been able to make only one call out since he arrived Friday evening. He had asked on a number of occasions to make a phone call and was informed: "Maybe tomorrow." I request that he be granted more regular phone calls.

4. Mr. Zundel is in the midst of preparing for a number of complex legal cases: two simultaneous cases before the Federal Court; an appeal of an Immigration and Refugee Board decision that he has lost his landed immigrant status; an ongoing matter with the Canadian Human Rights Commission; complex U.S. immigration matters. He needs his legal documents in his cell -- not loose in the hall outside his cell. I brought five volumes of documents relating to his case in Federal Court. These co-ordinate with two CSIS reports. You indicated that he could have these one at a time. Because the CSIS reports make reference to all the volumes, and in no particular order he needs ready access to them all at once. He also needs the use of a pen and coloured highlighters and sticky notes for marking pages. You indicated that some of these might be available at the canteen but that orders go in just once a week. Mr. Zundel knew nothing about the procedures for ordering through the canteen. I ask that these supplies be provided or let me provide them for him.

5. Mr. Zundel has not received a copy of the statement of prisoner's rights which Mr. Burtchall assured me exists in each prison. I, too, would like a copy as it is hard to offer legal advice, if one doesn't know the rulebook.

6. Mr. Zundel was not informed that he must provide a list of visitors that he wishes to see. I passed on your instructions that this was necessary and told him to draft such a list.

7. Mr. Zundel has asked repeatedly for request forms, which, it is his understanding, are necessary to communicate with the prison administration. As of Wednesday noon, these forms had not been provided to him. I request that they be given to him immediately. Surely, he has a right to communicate concerns or requests to his jailors.

8. Mr. Zundel has asked for his Inmate Classification. As of Wednesday noon, he had not received this either. I request that this be provided to him immediately.

9. I would like an assurance that Mr. Zundel will be able to have newspapers and books and religious tracts.

10. Finally, I request direct access to Mr. Zundel, not divided by glass. There are complicated legal documents that we must go over that require being able to sit side by side.

No one expects a prison to be a country club. Being incarcerated means that freedoms and privacy that even the poorest of us takes for granted are denied to the prisoner. However, being in jail should not mean the loss of all dignity or the ability to work to prepare an adequate legal defence.

It is in this spirit that I make these requests.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Fromm Legal Representative to Ernst Zundel

cc: Hon. Bob Runciman, Minister of Public Safety and Security

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Later in the day, there will be more. I am preparing another list with instructions on how to reach mainstream media. About 50 print version press releases in both German and English have already gone out to some of the larger dissident as well as mainstream print organs, prepared by the US legal team and faxed and mailed out of my office.

Finally, yesterday I did get a small but comforting birthday present after all from Ernst. He was allowed to talk to me for what seemed only two or three minutes, but he managed to tell me that he considered himself to be a "Hostage to a Website", which I think must be unique in the annals of political hostage taking.

I heard this morning from an unofficial source in Britain that thousands of American websites are under attack - and I asked for official verification. That number seems exaggerated to me, but perhaps whoever put the word out counted the websites affected when the Giant, QWest, caved in to Canadian censorship of American Free speech and kicked the Zundelsite off. Luckily, by now we are pros at that sort of attack, and within hours, my website was back on the air.

Keep spreading the word - and tell those who are afraid to stand up straight against oppression that, if they need it, we have political fig leaves to sell.

What it a political fig leaf, you ask?

A fig leaf looks like this, always to be accompanied with the right amount of squirming: "Of course Ernst Zundel's views are odious, and no one would agree with him, nobody doubts the Holocaust, why, my best friends are Holocaust Survivors...HOWEVER..."

That is as good a starting point as any for those who haven't yet learned how serious our struggle is.

Ingrid