Hate on Trial: The Zundel Affair, the Media, Public Opinion in Canada

Report of a national survey following the trial of neo-Nazi Ernst Zundel in Toronto in March 1985. Zundel was tried for discrimination against the Jews by distributing the pamphlet "Did Six Million Really Die?" Before the trial, concern was expressed regarding its effects on public opinion - the dangers of providing a public platform for hatemongers and the consequences of a possible acquittal. The trial ended in a conviction - Zundel was set to fifteen months in jail. [The conviction was later overturned on appeal - ed.] The survey examined the impact of the trial on feelings towards Jews, Germans, and the Holocaust, the role of the media, and previously-held prejudices of the respondents. The results show that the trial did not engender support for Zundel's views, particularly because the people most susceptible to his views were not regular consumers of media news and were not even aware of the trial. Media reports increased awareness of the Holocaust and aroused sympathy for Jews, but also persuaded Canadians that Zundel's ideas have a following. pp. 167-177 contain the design of the survey sample (1,054 subjects) and the questionnaire.