Siegfried Verbeke
Encyclopedia
Siegfried Verbeke is a Belgian revisionist
publisher and Holocaust denier.
ideologist and senator
Roeland Raes
, he founded the Flemish denial magazine Haro. This magazine distributed tapes from various speeches made by Adolf Hitler
, Joseph Goebbels
and Hermann Göring
. During this period, he also was a member of the Vlaamse Militanten Orde
(Flemish Militants Order), an organisation that became notorious for its attacks on immigrants, Walloons
, and socialists. The government began dismantling the organisation in 1981 and it had ceased to exist by the 1990s.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Verbeke distributed pamphlets in the Netherlands
to people with presumed Jewish names. In 1993, a Belgian court sentenced Verbeke to a one-year suspended prison term for distributing pamphlets belittling the Holocaust. Verbeke was also stripped of his civil rights for 10 years (his active and passive right to vote). The next year Verbeke circulated a booklet challenging what the authors called "the official version of the Holocaust
."
Two years later, in 1995, he hit the headlines again by trying to get political asylum in the Netherlands because he was banned from distributing his material in Belgium.
In 1998, criminal proceedings were launched against Verbeke by the public prosecution of Frankfurt
, Germany
, for distributing to German addresses the antisemitic pamphlet "Goldhagen and Spielberg Lies", which attacked Daniel Goldhagen
and Steven Spielberg
. In 2000, Verbeke was ordered to abstain from distributing a brochure co-authored with professor of literature Robert Faurisson
that attempted to challenge the authenticity of the Diary of Anne Frank. The next year, Belgian Minister for Culture Bert Anciaux
demanded that all Belgian libraries would remove any works by Verbeke from the shelves.
In 2004, he volunteered to be exposed to Zyklon B
, the poison used in the gas chambers, as an application for the million dollar paranormal challenge of the James Randi Educational Foundation
. His application was rejected.
In 2004, Verbeke was convicted in Belgium of Holocaust denial
and given a year in prison and fined €2500. On August 3, 2005, he was again arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam
under an international arrest warrant issued in Germany where he was wanted for Holocaust denial and writing internet articles on the subject. He was sentenced to 9 months in prison, and released on May 5, 2006.
On December 15, 2006, he was again arrested on base of the arrest warrant from the Court of Appeal in Antwerp, issued April 14, 2005. He is currently incarcerated in Belgium.
In June 2008 he was fined €25000 and sentenced again to a one year term, together with Vincent Reynouart, for denialism.
Historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event...
publisher and Holocaust denier.
History
Verbeke became a public figure in 1977 when, together with the later Vlaams BlokVlaams Blok
The Vlaams Blok was a Belgian far-right and secessionist political party with an anti-immigration platform. Its ideologies embraced Flemish nationalism, calling for the independence of Flanders. From its creation in 1978, it was the most notable militant right wing of the Flemish movement. Vlaams...
ideologist and senator
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
Roeland Raes
Roeland Raes
Roeland Raes is a Belgian politician, a former senator for and vice president of the political party 'Vlaams Blok'. Raes took a dr. iur. at Ghent University....
, he founded the Flemish denial magazine Haro. This magazine distributed tapes from various speeches made by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
and Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
. During this period, he also was a member of the Vlaamse Militanten Orde
Vlaamse Militanten Orde
The Vlaamse Militanten Orde or VMO – originally Vlaamse Militanten Organisatie – was a Flemish nationalist activist group in Belgium defending far-right interests by propaganda and political action...
(Flemish Militants Order), an organisation that became notorious for its attacks on immigrants, Walloons
Walloons
Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
, and socialists. The government began dismantling the organisation in 1981 and it had ceased to exist by the 1990s.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Verbeke distributed pamphlets in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to people with presumed Jewish names. In 1993, a Belgian court sentenced Verbeke to a one-year suspended prison term for distributing pamphlets belittling the Holocaust. Verbeke was also stripped of his civil rights for 10 years (his active and passive right to vote). The next year Verbeke circulated a booklet challenging what the authors called "the official version of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
."
Two years later, in 1995, he hit the headlines again by trying to get political asylum in the Netherlands because he was banned from distributing his material in Belgium.
In 1998, criminal proceedings were launched against Verbeke by the public prosecution of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, for distributing to German addresses the antisemitic pamphlet "Goldhagen and Spielberg Lies", which attacked Daniel Goldhagen
Daniel Goldhagen
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen is an American author and former Associate Professor of Political Science and Social Studies at Harvard University. Goldhagen reached international attention and broad criticism as the author of two controversial books about the Holocaust, Hitler's Willing Executioners and...
and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. In 2000, Verbeke was ordered to abstain from distributing a brochure co-authored with professor of literature Robert Faurisson
Robert Faurisson
Robert Faurisson is a French academic who is a Holocaust denier. Faurisson generated much controversy with a number of articles, published in the Journal of Historical Review and elsewhere, as well as various letters he has sent to French newspapers , which deny various aspects of the Holocaust,...
that attempted to challenge the authenticity of the Diary of Anne Frank. The next year, Belgian Minister for Culture Bert Anciaux
Bert Anciaux
Bert Jozef Herman Vic Anciaux is a Belgian politician, a founder and former member of Spirit...
demanded that all Belgian libraries would remove any works by Verbeke from the shelves.
In 2004, he volunteered to be exposed to Zyklon B
Zyklon B
Zyklon B was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide infamous for its use by Nazi Germany to kill human beings in gas chambers of extermination camps during the Holocaust. The "B" designation indicates one of two types of Zyklon...
, the poison used in the gas chambers, as an application for the million dollar paranormal challenge of the James Randi Educational Foundation
James Randi Educational Foundation
The James Randi Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 by magician and skeptic James Randi. The JREF's mission includes educating the public and the media on the dangers of accepting unproven claims, and to support research into paranormal claims in controlled...
. His application was rejected.
In 2004, Verbeke was convicted in Belgium of Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
and given a year in prison and fined €2500. On August 3, 2005, he was again arrested at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
under an international arrest warrant issued in Germany where he was wanted for Holocaust denial and writing internet articles on the subject. He was sentenced to 9 months in prison, and released on May 5, 2006.
On December 15, 2006, he was again arrested on base of the arrest warrant from the Court of Appeal in Antwerp, issued April 14, 2005. He is currently incarcerated in Belgium.
In June 2008 he was fined €25000 and sentenced again to a one year term, together with Vincent Reynouart, for denialism.
External links
- Siegfried Verbeke's official website (content may be illegal in some jurisdictions)