Zündel seeking refugee status

By Tom Godfrey,
TORONTO SUN

HOLOCAUST denier Ernst Zündel was being questioned behind bars in Fort Erie yesterday after filing a refugee claim upon his deportation from the U.S.

Zündel was driven to the Peace Bridge by U.S. immigration officers yesterday and turned over to Canadian authorities, U.S. officials said.

Zündel, 62, is also the subject of a contempt of court order from the Canadian Human Rights Commission for not removing hate material from his Web site.

"The transfer was smooth and there were no issues," said Mike Gilhooly, of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Gilhooly said Zündel, who was deported for violating U.S. immigration laws, had lived in Tennessee for about three years with his third wife, Ingrid Rimland.

Immigration minister Denis Coderre refused to discuss Zündel's case, but said he would not allow anyone to make a "mockery" of Canada's refugee system.

"I'm totally dedicated to make sure the legitimate people who are seeking our generosity will be facilitated," Coderre said. "But ... those who are trying the system and who give a bad reputation to our system should be careful."

The Canadian Jewish Congress said Zündel's bid will do just that.

"This may bring the integrity of the refugee system into disrepute," said congress spokesman Ed Morgan. "We have never heard of anyone making a claim from democratic Germany."

Morgan said Zündel should be returned to Germany, where he is a citizen. Zündel, who's lived in Canada for 42 years, faces five years in a German jail for violations of the country's strict anti-hate laws.

 [Index on Ernst Zündel]