Polls on Denial Question: About what percentage of Germans today are of the belief the holocaust never happened? Please cite your source for answer Andrew Mathis Responds: This question can really only be answered by use of polls. In one case, a Tel-Aviv University study for 2000-01 stated: An increasing number of neo-Nazis are joining the Bundeswehr. Their aim is to receive military training and to recruit activists and sympathizers from among the ranks of young soldiers. An increase of 45 percent in right-wing incidents in the army registered in 2000, has alarmed the authorities. According to an opinion poll conducted by the Sinus Trend 2000 Institute, 16 percent of potential army volunteers identify with extreme right-wing parties, notably the NPD and the DVU. However, it must be borne in mind that not all extremists are Holocaust deniers. By comparison, a report of the Center for Defense Information concluded: But Holocaust denial in Germany is largely confined to small numbers of elderly veterans and discredited historians. Senior Nazis were tried and hanged. Germans have come to terms with their past. Those who have not are on the margins of society. So there is obviously a multiplicity of opinion here. You might try Deborah Lipstadt's Denying the Holocaust -- particularly the final section, "Watching on the Rhine" -- to see exact poll figures. Andrew Mathis Related Links: Denial and Deniers back to the list of questions
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