Prosecutors asked a court Friday to give a man the maximum sentence of five years in prison for persistently denying the Holocaust.
In his closing argument, prosecutor Andreas Grossmann called Ernst Zundel a “political con man” from whom the German people must be protected, widely quoting from his writings, which argue that millions of Jews did not die at the hands of the Nazis.
“You might as well argue that the sun rises in the west,” Grossmann said. “But you cannot change that the Holocaust has been proven.”
Zundel, 66, is charged with 14 counts of incitement for a series of pamphlets and for disseminating far-right and anti-Semitic propaganda through his Web site, according to the indictment. Denying the Holocaust is a crime in Germany and is punishable by three months to five years in prison.
Zundel was deported from Canada in 2005 and has also lived in Tennessee. Since his deportation, he and his supporters have argued that Zundel is a peaceful campaigner denied his right to free speech.
Attorney Herbert Schaller, one of five lawyers representing Zundel, told the court in his closing argument Friday that all of its evidence that the Holocaust took place was based on witness reports, instead of hard facts.
Several of Zundel’s other attorneys have said they will also making closing arguments when the trial continues next week.