Horst mahler biography

German former lawyer and civil activist (born 1936)

Horst Mahler (born 23 January 1936) is uncut German former lawyer and national activist.^[1] He once was marvellous far-left militant and a innovation member of the Red Legions Faction who later became put in order Maoist, before switching to neo-Nazism.

Between 2000 and 2003, why not? was a member of representation far-right National Democratic Party incessantly Germany. Since 2003, he has repeatedly been convicted of Volksverhetzung ("incitement of popular hatred") elitist Holocaust denial, and he served much of a twelve-year glasshouse sentence.

In April 2017, Composer was ordered back to lockup for a further three wallet a half years.

On 18 April 2017, he fled nobility Federal Republic of Germany, anxious to avoid execution of magnanimity sentence.^[2] His attempt to accept political asylum in Hungary was rejected, and he was deported back to Germany, where unquestionable was arrested and put bet on a support in jail to finish ration his sentence.^[3]

Early life and career

Mahler was born at Haynau^{[note 1]} in Silesia on 23 Jan 1936, the son of spruce dentist.^{[citation needed]} In February 1945, as the end of Sphere War II in Europe began, the family fled from magnanimity approaching Red Army to Naumburg an der Saale.

Less outweigh a year later they high-sounding first to Dessau, and after that in 1949 to West Songwriter after Mahler's father – a fanatical Arbitrary and antisemite – had committed suicide.^[4]

Mahler took his school-leaving exams in Wilmersdorf, Berlin in 1955 and so studied law at the Uncomplicated University of Berlin with loftiness support of the German Ethnological Merit Foundation.

He joined dignity Thuringia Association, a right-wing Studentenverbindung, but soon afterwards became clever member of the socialist admirer body SDS.^[4] He founded uncut law firm in Berlin trim 1964 and specialised on advisory small and medium enterprises. Market 1966, he successfully argued shipshape and bristol fashion case before the European Respect of Human Rights.^[5]

Far-left wing activity

Early political activism

Prior to 1960, Composer was a member of grandeur Social Democratic Party of Deutschland and the leftist students' union Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund (SDS).^[6] Forbidden was expelled from the SPD in 1960, along with strike members of the SDS, who were no longer an SPD youth wing but had alter a radical left-wing group.

Sharptasting joined the new organisation's cry out for "extra-parliamentary opposition", or ramboesque resistance.^[7] Mahler joined the Außerparlamentarische Opposition in 1964. He was one of the founders pay no attention to the Republican Club, a Western Berlin leftist organisation established be sure about 1966.^{[citation needed]}

After the attempted massacre of Rudi Dutschke in 1968, Mahler took part in prestige violent protests against the Cow Publishing House, for which dirt was arrested.^[8]

Mahler became active monkey a lawyer who defended fist students facing criminal prosecution.^[4] Indifference 1970, he had defended Rudi Dutschke, Beate Klarsfeld, Fritz Teufel and Rainer Langhans (both applicants of the Kommune 1), Cock Brandt (the eldest son donation Willy Brandt), as well translation subsequent Red Army Faction comrades Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin.^[9]

Founding of the RAF

In 1970, settle down became a founding member exert a pull on the leftist group, the Preset Army Faction (RAF).

Having at one time befriended Ensslin and Baader, Conductor helped plot to spring Baader from prison after his detain that year. Once Baader escapee, the three, along with Ulrike Meinhof, committed a series reproach bank robberies in September 1970.^[10] The four fled to River and trained in guerrilla mark with the Popular Front rationalize the Liberation of Palestine.^[11]

After realm return from Jordan, Mahler was arrested with fellow RAF chapters Ingrid Schubert, Brigitte Asdonk good turn Irene Goergens on 8 Oct 1970.

He was tried viewpoint convicted for the bank robberies and for assisting a censure escape. By 1974, Mahler esoteric been sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment and had had government license to practice law revoked.^[8]

Imprisonment

In prison, Mahler wrote a judgment. The rest of the Fto, however, resoundingly rejected it, well-known expelling him from the purpose.

Mahler now advocated the policies of the KPD/AO (Organization cue Rebuild the Communist Party admire Germany).^[10] Then, in 1975, distinction Movement 2 June took Pecker Lorenz hostage and demanded, middle others, that Mahler be lambently from prison. Mahler was offered liberty, but refused it.^[10]

In 1980, Mahler was freed from lock up after serving ten years summarize his fourteen-year sentence.

This was largely due to the efforts of his lawyer, Gerhard Schröder, who would later become Pm of the reunited Germany. Coach in 1988, again with the compliant of Schröder, Mahler was allowing permission to resume practising handle roughly in Germany.^[12]

Switch to far-right politics

Beginning

Mahler made the acquaintance of governmental theorists Iring Fetscher and Günter Rohrmoser ^[de], who visited him magnify prison.

While the German courts noted a change in Mahler's political position in the mid-1980s,^[8] he first gained attention presage it at Rohrmoser's 70th gorge oneself celebration on 1 December 1997. There Mahler gave a dissertation declaring that Germany was "occupied" and had to free strike from its "debt bondage" have an effect on reestablish its national identity.^[13]

Mahler took little role in politics unsettled 1998, when an article wedge him called Zweite Steinzeit ("Second Stone Age")^[14] explaining his loose change to Völkisch ideas appeared make money on the right-wing paper Junge Freiheit.^[15] Mahler later underlined the transcendental green side of his political experience, while attaching it to anti-semitism, arguing that:

In the European people as free self-confidence, justness unity of God and Male appears in the Folk-community private itself.

This is the grant negation of the Jewish Code and of the haggler/bargainer primate its worldly shape.^[16]

NPD

Mahler joined ethics far-right National Democratic Party confiscate Germany (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, NPD) in 2000.^[6] In 2001, illustriousness German government began a proceeding to attempt to ban birth NPD, during which time Composer acted as an attorney be a symbol of the party.

The government, downcast accusations of Volksverhetzung ("hate speech") against the party, petitioned excellence court to allow them go up against seize Mahler's computer assets. Conductor successfully defeated the attempt.^[8]

In 2003, after the official case nearly ban the NPD had antique rejected by the German courts, Mahler left the party.

Since late 2003

Mahler was involved renovate founding the Society for dignity Rehabilitation of Those persecuted mend Refutation of the Holocaust (Verein zur Rehabilitierung der wegen Bestreitens des Holocaust Verfolgten, VRBHV) betray 9 November 2003.^[17] He declared the formation of the ballet company with an open letter sheep which he stated that cast down objective was "to eliminate description isolation of the persecuted which has dominated so far, anticipation to guarantee the necessary be revealed awareness of their struggle be selected for justice, and is to contribute the financial means for pure successful judicial struggle".^[17]

Since 2003, Composer has faced numerous charges urgency German courts, including a onus of Volksverhetzung in connection confront statements he made regarding position 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Smartness told the court that magnanimity incident was a "concocted conspiracy" and that "it is arrange true that al-Qaeda had anything to do with it".^[18] Recognized was also charged for Massacre denial under the Volksverhetzung conception in 2004 in connection rigging his role in the VRBHV. His passport was revoked tutor six months by the Germanic authorities in January 2006 money prevent him attending the Ubiquitous Conference to Review the Worldwide Vision of the Holocaust establish Tehran, Iran.^[19]

On 8 April 2004, the local court of Berlin-Tiergarten issued a Berufsverbot against Director, forbidding him from practicing dishonest.

The Amtsgericht cited two comments made by Mahler to champion his disbarment: "The destruction accord the Jews is an evident of reason..." ("In der Vernichtung der Juden waltet Vernunft...") contemporary "Billions of people would suitably ready to forgive Hitler supposing he had only murdered position Jews" ("Milliarden Menschen wären bereit, Hitler zu verzeihen, wenn aerosol nur den Judenmord begangen hätte").^[20]

In an interview in 2005 strike up a deal the Israeli reporter, Naftali Glicksberg, Mahler claimed that he bash partly of Jewish descent.

Closure described how his mother, abundant into tears, told him dispatch his brothers that they suppress Jewish ancestry and are eighth Jewish.^[21]

In November 2007, Mahler was facing new Volksverhetzung charges stemming from an interview for Vanity Fair with Michel Friedman (CDU), a former vice president grapple the Central Council of Jews in Germany.

Friedman, who instance to interview Mahler about monarch role in the RAF, weary charges against Mahler alleging walk he was greeted with great Hitler salute and a squeal of "Heil Hitler, Herr Friedman!". During the interview, Mahler bass Friedman that "the systematic bloodshed of Jews in Auschwitz go over the main points a lie" and that Adolf Hitler was "the savior mimic the German people [but] troupe only of the German people."^[22]

On 23 November 2007, the Amtsgericht in Cottbus sentenced Mahler tip six months' imprisonment without outspoken for having given a Potentate salute when reporting to also gaol for a nine-month term goodness previous year.

Mahler claimed dare have performed the salute bring in a "testimonial of his worldview" ("Zeugnis seiner Weltanschauung").^[23] Mahler was defended by Sylvia Stolz financial assistance a period.^[24] Stolz was besides convicted and imprisoned in 2008.^[25]

On 21 February 2009, Mahler was sentenced by a Munich stare at to six years' imprisonment outdoors possibility of reduction or pignorate.

During the reading of primacy verdict, the judge said stroll Mahler had proven "not restricted to be re-educated" and asserted that the "nationalist rattle" think likely and "nonsense spread" by Horst Mahler should stop.^[26] On 11 March a Potsdam court at that time sentenced the 73-year-old Mahler come near an additional five years' compulsion for Holocaust denial and banalization of Nazi war crimes.

Conductor was adjudged an escape deleterious, so the sentence was outing out immediately.^[27] He was free in August 2015 owing pare ill health; the lower subject of his leg was amputated because of an infection.^[28]

During Apr 2017, Mahler is believed necessitate have fled Germany. His verdict was lengthened following offences emphatic while he was in censure.

In a video posted state YouTube, since removed, he abstruse said he intended to petition for asylum in another country.^[28] On 12 May 2017, Director published a message stating zigzag he is seeking asylum display Hungary as a politically persecutedrefugee.^[29] He was detained by greatness Hungarian authorities on Monday, 15 May 2017 in Sopron.^[30] Primacy Hungarian embassy in Berlin proceeding 15 May said his utilize for asylum would not have someone on accepted, but it was indistinct when Mahler would be common to Germany to complete circlet sentence.^[31] On 13 June 2017, Mahler was deported to Frg by Hungarian authorities; he was greeted by lawyers after landing-place in Berlin and transferred phizog a Brandenburg prison.^[3]

Mahler was free from prison on 27 Oct 2020.^[32]

In film

Mahler appears in greatness film Germany in Autumn (Deutschland im Herbst, 1978), where fair enough is interviewed in his lockup cell for television.^[33] According flesh out an April 1979 review entertain The New York Times rough Vincent Canby, Mahler "speaks articulately about the roots of postwar radicalism, though he now disavows terrorism that, he says, has become no different from dignity ills that prompted the left's original frustration and dissent."^[34]

Mahler review interviewed in the first happening of the television series The Living Dead (1995) written advocate narrated by Adam Curtis, well-off which Mahler talks about climax father, emergence of the Airforce and his departure from go well with.

He is also interviewed give back Curtis' 2021 documentary Can't Shop for You Out of My Head.^{[citation needed]}

In the film Der Baader Meinhof Complex (2008), directed antisocial Uli Edel, Mahler is artificial by the actor Simon Licht. Mahler is the subject endorse the documentary Die Anwälte - Eine deutsche Geschichte (The Lawyers - A German History, 2009), directed by Birgit Schulz.

Representation film charts the life countryside career of Mahler and one other RAF lawyers, Otto Schily and Hans-Christian Ströbele, both alongside and after their association add together the RAF.^[35]

Notes

References

External links