He is one of Germany’s leading and most prominent far-right figures, and for his political beliefs and circumstances would have easily qualified for political asylum. Indeed, he applied for one in Hungary but was arrested instead. Now, he is screaming that Germany is persecuting him.
8ch.net has carried the fresh news on Horst Mahler and his arrest. Mahler used to be a well-known left-wing militant turned neo-Nazi. He was sentenced by a German court to 10 years in prison in 2009 allegedly for “inciting hatred” and “Holocaust denial”, a criminal offense in Germany. The 81-year-old was released two years ago because of poor health. Mahler is a diabetic man with an amputated leg. Curiously, he was ordered back for supposed offenses committed during his term in jail. But instead of returning, the man chose to assert the freedom that was already given to him and went on the run since April. There are also pending government investigations on Mahler, including the publication of what critics branded as the anti-Semitic book.
Mahler published an online letter on May 12 requesting for political asylum from Hungary and its President, Viktor Orban. Mahler mentioned in his letter that he is being persecuted for publishing the book which, he asserted, is a “religious- ideological declaration. He also defended that such project has no relation to Holocaust denial.
Unfortunately for the old man, his asylum request was denied. The Hungarian embassy based in Berlin turned down the request for its purported lack of basis. But some of the explanations given also hint of Germany’s influence over Hungary, and over the EU as a whole. The Hungarian embassy said that “Hungary is a state of law and a member of the EU.
Mahler made the dramatic transition from left to right in his colorful history. He began his political career as a lawyer representing many prominent leftist personalities at the height of the political unrest of the 1960s and early 1970s. Mahler went to prison for participating in the left’s criminal actions at that time including kidnappings and bank robberies. Interestingly, it was in prison that Mahler developed a right-wing worldview until he became one of the most known far-right leading figures.
He did not develop "a right-wing worldview" in prison. He developed this view when he worked as a lawyer, and realised that the Holocaust denial laws were a complete injustice. Then he realised that Jews had been persecuted wherever they had settled, and that probably it must have something to do with their behaviour as well, and not just with "Nazism"… He is not a "neo-Nazi" in the silly sense it is implied here, he is a former lawyer turned philosopher.
Such hypocrisy of EU and Germany! Political asylum is a right!