Ernst Zundel Quotes

Powerful Ernst Zundel for Daily Growth

About Ernst Zundel

Ernst Zündel (August 18, 1939 – August 5, 2017) was a Swiss-born Canadian publisher, holocaust denier, and political activist who gained notoriety for his controversial views on the Holocaust. Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, Zündel immigrated to Canada in 1958 where he became a naturalized citizen in 1965. Zündel's early life was marked by a strong interest in mechanics and electronics. After serving in the Swiss Army, he worked as an electrician before moving to Canada. In Canada, Zündel founded several businesses including a sign company and a publishing house, Samisdat Publications, through which he published materials questioning the extent of the Holocaust. His most notable work, "Did Six Million Really Die?", was first published in 1976. The book argued that the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated and questioned the gas chambers' existence. This publication led to Zündel's first arrest for spreading false news under the Canadian Criminal Code. Zündel's activities continued to stir controversy, leading to his deportation from Canada in 1979. He later returned to Canada and was arrested again in 1985. In 1988, he was convicted of publishing false news and sentenced to five years in prison. Despite numerous legal battles, Zündel's work continued to influence the Holocaust denial movement globally. His life and work remain controversial, with many viewing him as a provocateur and others as a champion of free speech. After his death in 2017, some extremist groups mourned him as a martyr, while mainstream societies continued to reject his claims. Zündel's legacy serves as a reminder of the power of misinformation and the importance of historical accuracy in understanding our past. His life also underscores the complexities of freedom of speech debates and the potential consequences of promoting controversial or hateful ideas.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Truth is the only force capable of overcoming lies."

Ernst Zündel's quote emphasizes that truth, as a powerful and enduring principle, can effectively dispel falsehoods or deceptions. In essence, it underscores the idea that ultimately, truth will triumph over lies because its authenticity resonates with people and fosters trust in society. The quote encourages us to seek out the truth and not be swayed by misinformation.


"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the people continue to be blind, ignorant or indifferent."

This quote suggests that deceit and manipulation can persist only so long as the public remains unaware, uninformed, or uncaring about the truth. In essence, it emphasizes the importance of knowledge, critical thinking, and vigilance in a society to prevent being misled by falsehoods.


"We are not living in a democracy but in an oligarchy where the elite have made up their minds about what they want, and they aren't asking us."

The quote by Ernst Zundel suggests that modern societies are not functioning as democracies, where the majority rules through free and fair elections, but rather as oligarchies, where a small, powerful elite makes decisions without seeking the consent of the general population. This implies that ordinary citizens may not have significant influence over the policies and direction of their society, which can lead to feelings of powerlessness and dissatisfaction among the populace.


"The Holocaust story is being used to make us accept sacrifices we would otherwise reject."

Ernst Zündel's quote suggests that the narrative of the Holocaust is being exploited to convince people to accept hardships or compromises they might otherwise resist. In essence, he implies that the Holocaust is being used as a tool for societal manipulation or control, leveraging its tragic history to justify questionable decisions or actions. This perspective, however, should be approached with caution and skepticism due to its potential to trivialize the gravity of the atrocities committed during World War II and the suffering endured by its victims.


"To be against the Holocaust industry is not to deny the existence of six million Jewish victims or any other atrocity committed during World War II, but merely to question the factual accuracy of some of its most frequently told stories and to ask for openness about all documents related to that period."

Ernst Zundel's quote challenges the accepted narrative surrounding the Holocaust by suggesting that criticism or questioning of certain aspects of the Holocaust's history does not equate to denial, but rather a call for transparency and fact-checking of historical accounts. He advocates for an open examination of documents related to this period in history to ensure accuracy in the stories told about it. This quote, however, has been criticized as it can be seen as minimizing the horrors and atrocities committed during World War II, including the six million Jewish victims, by focusing on perceived inaccuracies in the narratives surrounding those events.


They have accorded me my constitutional rights, and that is to their credit because the media hate campaign against me has been so intense and so vicious that it's a miracle that the police have taken such a professional approach.

- Ernst Zundel

Against, Been, Accorded, Vicious

You cannot stoke the fires of prejudice against German people and then not find that somewhere, sometime down the road it doesn't discharge.

- Ernst Zundel

Sometime, German, Stoke, Fires

Had I been in Toronto, I would certainly have been killed in this attack. In the room where I normally sleep, the flames and the smoke and the soot is such that the gases would have killed me.

- Ernst Zundel

Toronto, Been, Certainly, Flames

And besides, I'm so in Dutch with my neighbors here that I thought that was better than getting them all upset with what might be a fake bomb scare where they'd have to clear out the whole neighborhood.

- Ernst Zundel

Thought, Here, Upset, Fake

I wore bulletproof vests, and my bodyguards had the option of having bulletproof vests - I bought five sets.

- Ernst Zundel

Bulletproof, Having, Sets, Bodyguards

I am not saying that Hitler was a choir boy. But I am saying, let him who was innocent in the Second World War cast the first stone.

- Ernst Zundel

War, Innocent, World War, Stone

The reason why I have survived as long as I have survived is what my friends, comrades and supporters thought was an extraordinarily cautious approach.

- Ernst Zundel

Thought, Reason, Why, Comrades

The judge turned his back towards me, sitting back on his judge's chair, while I was in the witness stand being questioned. The whole courtroom was full of these anarchists, leftists, communists and Jewish lobbyists.

- Ernst Zundel

Chair, Turned, Lobbyists, Communists

That generation of Germans, along with volunteers from Denmark, Holland, even England and the Free India division and so on, we Europeans were alert and awake to the danger of Bolshevism.

- Ernst Zundel

Generation, England, Holland, Volunteers

I am, as a European, absolutely shocked by European people. I am also shocked by European nationalist people. They have allowed themselves to be so emasculated so silently.

- Ernst Zundel

Allowed, European, Also, Nationalist

You know, many people have called me, friends from the nationalist camp, revisionists and so on, from around the world, have called me over the years - and now again because of what happened - and they are all very cynical about the police and the authorities.

- Ernst Zundel

Very, Around, About, Nationalist

For an event that was wholly created in the poisonous psychological warfare kitchens of the Second World War, run by the ministries of propaganda in many countries, not just by the British or the Americans, but also the Russians and undoubtedly the world Jewish organizations.

- Ernst Zundel

Run, Russians, Psychological, Kitchens

But as a German - and I am German-born - we Germans are condemned once again to be radical revisionists.

- Ernst Zundel

I Am, Radical, German, Condemned

Once you are a victim of a bombing, you enter a risk group to which they will not sell insurance.

- Ernst Zundel

Insurance, Once, Which, Victim

The trial of Ernst Zundel has gone down in Canadian history.

- Ernst Zundel

History, Down, Canadian, Trial

What we have to do now is to make the public at large aware that what we're looking at is not a historical event but - and I have to be brutal and I am going to say it - a racket.

- Ernst Zundel

Going, Brutal, Large, Racket

The unfortunate thing is, for the contents of the building I could not get any insurance anywhere in Canada.

- Ernst Zundel

Insurance, Canada, Contents, Unfortunate

I am not saying that during the Second World War Germany did not, under the leadership of the National Socialist government, commit crimes.

- Ernst Zundel

Socialist, Crimes, Commit, Germany

Conquerors never, never conquer a nation to bring freedom. They brought control.

- Ernst Zundel

Freedom, Never, Brought, Conquer

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