Udo Walendy
Encyclopedia
Udo Walendy is a German Holocaust denier
who also disputes Germany
's guilt for the Second World War.
(auxiliary force), then the Luftwaffenhelfer
(child soldier in the air force) and finally into the regular Wehrmacht
(the German military). He completed his Abitur
(secondary education
) in 1946 and then went to journalism school
in Aachen
. From 1950 to 1956 he studied political science at the Hochschule für Politik in West Berlin
, where he received his diploma.
Afterwards he worked as the director of a folk high school
in Herford
and as the business leader of an employers' association in Bielefeld
. In 1965 he went independent and founded the Verlag für Volkstum und Zeitgeschichtsforschung ("Publishing House for Folklore and Contemporary Historical Research") in Vlotho
. In 1999 ownership of the publishing house was transferred to his wife, since Walendy was barred from directing it due to his criminal convictions. He maintains close contact with the Belgian revisionist organisation Vrij Historisch Onderzoek (VHO). He was imprisoned for 15 months for his writings denying the Holocaust.
Walendy has been charged with criminal activity several times, including under Germany's Volksverhetzung
law (incitement to hatred).
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...
who also disputes 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...
's guilt for the Second World War.
Life
Towards the end of the war Walendy was drafted first into the ReichsarbeitsdienstReichsarbeitsdienst
The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
(auxiliary force), then the Luftwaffenhelfer
Luftwaffenhelfer
Luftwaffenhelfer are terms commonly used for German students deployed as child soldiers during World War II....
(child soldier in the air force) and finally into the regular Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(the German military). He completed his Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
(secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
) in 1946 and then went to journalism school
Journalism school
A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. An increasingly used term for a journalism department, school or college is 'J-School'...
in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
. From 1950 to 1956 he studied political science at the Hochschule für Politik in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, where he received his diploma.
Afterwards he worked as the director of a folk high school
Folk high school
Folk high schools are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal...
in Herford
Herford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
and as the business leader of an employers' association in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
. In 1965 he went independent and founded the Verlag für Volkstum und Zeitgeschichtsforschung ("Publishing House for Folklore and Contemporary Historical Research") in Vlotho
Vlotho
Vlotho is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Vlotho is located along the Weser river, south of the Wiehengebirge, bordering on the Ravensberger Hügelland in the west, Lipperland in the south, and the Weserbergland in the east...
. In 1999 ownership of the publishing house was transferred to his wife, since Walendy was barred from directing it due to his criminal convictions. He maintains close contact with the Belgian revisionist organisation Vrij Historisch Onderzoek (VHO). He was imprisoned for 15 months for his writings denying the Holocaust.
Activity as author and publisher
Besides other works Walendy oversaw the publication of numerous materials in which the Holocaust was denied and the Third Reich was generally presented in a positive light. Among others these include:- As early as 1964 he published his own book, Wahrheit für Deutschland – Die Schuldfrage des Zweiten Weltkriegs (Truth for Germany - The Question of Guilt for the Second World War), which in 1979 was listed by Germany's Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young PersonsBundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende MedienThe Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
as material that could not be publicly advertised or given to young readers, due to the version it presented of the events that led to World War II. This restriction was lifted in 1994, after a long legal battle, on the grounds that Walendy's constitutional rights had been violated, since the federal constitutional court ruled that even a supposedly biased representation could be defended as an academic work. A renewed attempt to have the work listed was abandoned in 2001 due to a negative assessment of the chances of success in the event of another court case. - Numerous copies of the historical revisionist magazine series Historische Tatsachen, which continues to be published by the Vrij Historisch Onderzoek (VHO) in FlandersFlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. Its very first edition from 1974 contains a German translation of Richard HarwoodRichard VerrallRichard Verrall is a former Deputy Chairman of the British National Front , he edited the magazine Spearhead from 1976 to 1980.-National Front career:...
's Holocaust-denying booklet "Did Six Million Really Die?Did Six Million Really Die?Did Six Million Really Die? is a Holocaust denial booklet written by British National Front member Richard Verrall, under the name Richard E. Harwood, and published by Ernst Zündel in 1974...
". - The German translation of Arthur ButzArthur ButzArthur R. Butz is a Holocaust denier and associate professor of electrical engineering at Northwestern University. He achieved tenure in 1974 and currently teaches classes in control system theory and digital signal processing.-Education:...
's book The Hoax of the Twentieth CenturyThe Hoax of the Twentieth CenturyThe Hoax of the Twentieth Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry is a book by electrical engineering professor Arthur Butz. First published in 1976 by Historical Review Press, it denied that Nazi Germany tried to exterminate the Jews during the Holocaust, and was...
, in which the author attempts to discredit the evidence for the Holocaust.
Walendy has been charged with criminal activity several times, including under Germany's Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung
Volksverhetzung is a concept in German criminal law that bans the incitement of hatred against a segment of the population. It often applies in, though it is not limited to, trials relating to Holocaust denial in Germany...
law (incitement to hatred).
External links
- Original German mp3-speeches from Udo Walendy
- Personen: Udo Walendy Holocaust-Referenz: Argumente gegen Auschwitzleugner.
- NPD: Raus aus dem Mief Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, 29 November 1971.