- There will be a more detailed write-up about our protest
demonstration two days ago, on Monday, May 7. I have just returned from
Washington and need to get my bearings and catch up with myself. Please
bear with me - this is only the beginning of many such demonstrations I
hope to organize in front of embassies and consulates in this and other
countries. After all, this is a story of international significance, especially
for Germans world-wide - for I don't think that there has ever been a demonstration
in front of any German embassy accusing their officials of having aided
and abetted a political kidnapping of one of their own nationals to please
the Holocaust Lobby!
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- We set out by car on a sunny but quite chilly and windy
Sunday morning. I was worried about holding up our signs without having
the wind rip them apart, but I need not have worried - the angels were
on our side. We could not have had more perfect weather for what we had
in mind.
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- The German Embassy is located in a quiet neighborhood
to the West of downtown Washington, D.C. I worried about getting a group
together, because most of our supporters are working people, and it was
not easy for many of them who would have liked to have come to sacrifice
part of their paycheck. We had about 35 people who showed up on time,
plus several photographers and media folks, including at least one outfit
which came from the Enemy Front. I had brought along some 20 Zundel posters
and had additionally printed up four large banners, three of which we used.
You can preview them in the jpeg attachment. I hope to have many more
later in the day.
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- I worried about the JDL showing up and giving us a hard
time, but they were nowhere to be seen - in itself a telling sign, since
the ADL had posted a nasty "Extremist" notice about our demonstration.
A previous Zundel demonstration some two years ago had walked into a JDL
ambush, so naturally there was some concern. We had notified the police,
and we had a legitimate demonstration permit - we just braced ourselves,
willing and able to take on whatever might come our way. I had gone out
of my way pleading with potential demonstrators to conduct ourselves with
dignity and not to act provocatively, and I must say I am proud of the
way the two-hour demonstration was handled. There was not even a hint
of any potential confrontation - there was only gritty determination that
we would have our say our way!
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- Across from us on the other side of the street collected
a small handful of raggedy folks who looked like they had risen from under
some bridge and needed a good shower. As many of my friends know, I have
a serious vision problem and could not really read their posters, but I
hope to get a description of their so-called "street action"
later. I could hear the noise with some cow bell they made!
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- Some humorous incidents need to be recorded for posterity.
When we arrived, the iron gate to the Embassy was closed, and behind it
stood two men, one of whom looked like a guard, and the other one was nattily
attired like a bureaucrat. His fear - of what? - was palpable. I walked
up to the gate and said to this gent, to quote from memory: "I am
Mrs. Zundel, the wife of the political prisoner on whose behalf we are
demonstrating." He took two hasty steps backward and stuttered:
"You - you are Mrs. Zundel?" I said, "Yes, and you? Do
you have a card I could have?" He looked as though he had just confronted
Dracula instead of a lady of decorum and simply shook his head. I said,
"Then can you tell me your name?" He took two additional steps
backward, raised his hand, and said in almost a whisper: "No. No.
I am not part of your group!"
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- Next, I turned to a member of the police who had meanwhile
shown up in five vehicles. That in itself is an interesting story. As
we all know, the Washington police are largely of the rainbow variety,
but these officers who were assigned to keep an eye on this small group
of dissidents were all very young, very white - and except for one who
thought he was the cat's meow, apparently quite interested in what we had
to say. One of them gave me what looked like a furtive thumbs-up!
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- Another one of them walked up to me and asked if I was
the leader. I said there was no leader - that we were just a bunch of
friends of Zundel's. I said to him, "I am very happy to see you!"
He cracked the tiniest smile. I followed up with "Are you equally
happy to see me?" At that, he produced something that could pass
for a half smile, which I matched with one of my own sunniest smiles:
"You are from the Washington Police?"
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- "No," he explained. "We are the Secret
Service."
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- I must say I was floored! This specimen here was a Chertoff
man! I said, "I didn't know you are allowed to say that!" That
finally produced a full-scale smile I would not at all describe as menacing
in any way, shape, or form.
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- So I asked my counterpart to see if he could get us permission
to enter the Embassy and have a little chat with whoever was there and
could answer a couple of questions. He disappeared behind the Embassy
gate, but I never got a reply. By the way, that gate opened and closed
throughout the demonstration for Embassy staff as well as civilians who
apparently entered to get travel visas, and every time that happened, the
Secret Service asked us politely to step out of the way and let the cars
and visitors pass. Of course we obliged politely.
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- A little later, Willis Carto and a reporter from the
American Free Press showed up, and Willis had a bright idea. Why didn't
we take the opportunity and simply walk in while the gate was still open?
I said immediately that I was game if my two attorneys and our reporters
would come along. One of them, Michael Collins Piper of AFP, was at that
moment giving an interview to someone - I believe National Geographic,
who I was told was there. I was perfectly willing to step inside the Lions'
Den, but I was waiting for Mike in the hope of getting an on-location write-up
in the American Free Press for that historic moment.
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- In the meantime, one of our demonstrators came to me,
pointing out that if I were to step inside, it could be dangerous for me
because it was considered Vaterland territory. I hadn't thought of that
- I have an arrest warrant outstanding for my heretic Zundelsite posts.
That made me change my mind.
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- Willis thereupon asked one of the "insiders",
who were still peering through the gate, making me think of a zoo and a
few untoward comparisons, if we could all walk in.
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- The answer from the Enemy Command was that we needed
an appointment.
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- All right. So that's what we will do. I'll get myself
an appointment and march in there with witnesses and legal follow-up -
and we will take this matter up again in a few weeks, God willing.
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- Then Willis said something to me I record as a bona fide
joke. He said, "Don't laugh, Ingrid. Why don't you go across the
street, hit one of those punks over there, and get yourself arrested?
That's how you get publicity!"
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- I told him, not this time - I had a handicapped son who
needed me to be available.
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- There will be more about this demo and what we hope is
going to be follow-up and unpleasant media fall-out for the deceitful honchos.
Let me just say that I am very pleased the demo went the way it went. I
believe that we have set a precedent - and I am telling you that this was
not exactly good PR for the nice folks inside that Embassy. Their involvement
in this political kidnapping has not exactly been to their credit!
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- We will have a great many more pictures - and additional
write-ups, I hope. I just wanted to give you a sneak preview and thank
our participants for providing the footage and photos we need - and being
there where angels fear to tread.
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- Ingrid Zundel
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