Investigations against Bishop Williamson falter

The progress of the proceedings against the Holocaust denier is currently unclear. Problems have arisen with a request to Sweden.

The investigations against the British Bishop Richard Williamson of the people are stalled.

The Chief Prosecutor in Regensburg, Günther Ruckdäschel has confirmed the reports on Bavarian Radio that there are problems with a request for legal assistance to Sweden. The bishop of the controversial SSPX denied the holocaust in an interview with a Swedish television station.

The Swedish authorities have now indicated that the TV journalist, not as by the German investigators wished, cannot be interviewed. Apparently, the status of the reporter in the Scandinavian country prevents interview as a witness.

"We cannot understand the law. For us there would be no problem to interview a journalist," said Ruckdäschel. The progress of the proceedings against Williamson is currently unclear. The Regensburg Prosecutor is awaiting further news on whether the European Judicial Network can still obtain the statement of the television man. "If nothing comes from Sweden, we must pause to consider how to proceed without this statement," said the chief investigator.

The 69-year-old Williamson in the SSPX’s Zaitzkofen seminary near Regensburg had argued against the murder of six million Jews in gas chambers and acknowledged only a smaller number of victims in the Nazi concentration camps. He has responded to the investigation via his lawyer. Williamson said that he had assumed that the interview would not be shown in Germany. In several other states, in contrast to the Federal Republic, denial of the Holocaust is not an offence.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Please consider signing the well stated petition in support of Bp. Williamson found at http://petitions.tigweb.org/FSSPX which as of July 30, 2009 has collected 2,760 signatures.

Holocaustianity based on the new false Shoah Theology is quite real and is in direct opposition to Christianity. Keep in mind that it is a crime in many countries to even question the statistics relating to what has come to be known as THE Holocaust. On the other hand, one is quite free in these same countries to blaspheme Jesus Christ (along with His Blessed Mother) and the greatest holocaust that ever took place -- the one on Calvary some 2,000 years ago.

James B. Phillips
Aged parent said…
Would it be possible, in articles concerning this affair, to stop using the tiresome phrase, "holocaust denial"? It is really starting to grate on the nerves.

Whatever the extent of the Jewish suffering under the Nazi regime it is rather insulting to term this particular suffering a "holocaust", as if it were the supreme crime in the entire history of mankind. There were a few others who suffered, you know, and some of the persecutions were far, far worse than those endured in world war 2 Germany. Let us try to put things in perspective.

Instead of using the cliche "holocaust" to describe this particular episode, let us merely call it "Jewish suffering in wartime Germany" and be done with it.

The other phrase which is getting more than a little shopworn is "holocaust denial". As I read it, the Bishop was simply questioning the official numbers of those who died and the precise methods used to do the killings. This is a "denial"? This is a crime? How do his opponents know with certainty how many actually perished? Did they go to Germany with shovels and count the bodies one by one? And if so how did they know which bodies were Jews and which ones were, say, Catholics?

If I question how many Ukranians were actually starved to death on Stalin's orders, be it the official number of approximately 37 million or a lesser number of, say, 15 million, am I guilty of "denying" the Ukranian deaths?

I expect a higher standard of verbiage in a Catholic website and a higher lever of intelligence. It's time now, at long last, to stop using overworked terms like "holocaust" and "holocaust denial". Quite simply, I've had my fill of it.
Dan said…
I totally agree with both posters here. Enough said!
pclaudel said…
Gentlemen, especially Daniel: Consider cutting Mr. Gillibrand a little slack. His use, here and elsewhere, of the terms you understandably deprecate (as do I) is in the context of translations of published news items. He is owed gratitude for this work, not censure.
The so-called "Federal Republic of Germany" has ruled through its highest court that every person in the world is subject to German "justice".
When anybody (e.g. an Australian in Australia on his Australian website) utters something controversial about the "holocaust", he can be punished by Germany.
Kevin Whiteman said…
had argued against the murder of six million Jews in gas chambers and acknowledged only a smaller number of victims in the Nazi concentration camps.

So if I were to say that 5 1/2 million Jews were killed, does that make me a denier? What made "six million" such a magical number?
Anonymous said…
So if I were to say that 5 1/2 million Jews were killed, does that make me a denier?

Undoubtedly. Please remember that talmudism is magic, not religion, hence no alteration whatsoever is allowed or it simply won't work, and number six is considered to be "sacred" (or, should I say, magical.) Here you can read interesting article with some explanations and quoting plenty examples of magical use of number 6. It simply boggles the mind.