David Ahenakew (July 28, 1933 – March 12, 2010) was a Canadian First Nations (Cree) politician, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Ahenakew was born at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan. He and his wife, Grace Ahenakew, had five children.

Military and political career

Ahenakew served in the Canadian Forces from 1951 to 1967, during which time he was stationed in Germany, Korea (during the Korean War), and Egypt. An alternate source indicates he served with the Canadian Armed Forces Engineers Corps in Canada, Egypt and Germany from 1962 to 1968 and attained the rank of Sergeant.

On March 9, 1981, he was appointed Director of the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission's Special Programs Unit.

<blockquote>The Germans used to tell me, and I got to know them well because I played soccer against them and with them and so forth. But they used to tell me that you guys are blessed. What we know about the Indians in Canada. They are blessed. But that blessing is being destroyed by your immigrants that are going over there. Especially the Jews, they said. The Second World War was started by the Jews and the Third World War, whatever it is, is between Israel and the Arab countries. I was there as well. But there's going to be a war because the Israelis and the "Bushies" – you know, the bully, the bigot in the United States – tells you that if you're not with me you're against me.</blockquote>

After the session concluded, the StarPhoenix reporter asked him to clarify these remarks, and he explained that while serving in the army after the war, Germans had told him the Jews had provoked the war. The StarPhoenix quoted him as further saying:

<blockquote>The Jews damn near owned all of Germany prior to the war. That's why Hitler came in. He was going to make damn sure that the Jews didn't take over Germany, or even Europe. That's why he fried six million of those guys, you know. Jews would have owned the goddamned world. And look what they're doing now, they're killing people in Arab countries.</blockquote>

The reporter asked how Ahenakew could justify the Holocaust. The StarPhoenix quoted Ahenakew as replying:

<blockquote>How else do you get rid of a disease like that, that's going to take over, that's going to dominate?</blockquote>

Public reaction

The comments were first circulated in the Canadian national media several days later, and were quickly condemned as antisemitic by Jewish groups, Aboriginal leaders and Canadian politicians alike. Both Perry Bellgarde, president of FSIN, and Matthew Coon Come, AFN national chief, were quick to distance themselves from Ahenakew's comments.

In June 2003, Ahenakew was formally charged by the Saskatchewan Justice Department with promoting hatred.

In connection with the remarks from 2002, which were recorded on tape with his knowledge, Ahenakew was later convicted in July 2005 of willfully promoting hatred against Jews. Ahenakew apologized for the remarks, saying they did not represent his beliefs and that he was "caught up in the heat of the moment. I was attempting to spark debate on what has been happening to our First Nations people." At his trial, he later recanted his apology and blamed his outburst on his diabetes, some wine and a change in medication, a defense that was rejected by the court; he was subsequently fined $1,000. Despite this, he retained his belief that the Jews started the Second World War. Jewish groups, aboriginals and politicians later called for Ahenakew's membership in the Order of Canada to be revoked. The Governor General revoked Ahenakew's membership shortly after his trial.

Second trial

Ahenakew was retried in Saskatoon in 2008. In February 2009, Saskatchewan Provincial Court Judge Wilfred Tucker acquitted Ahenakew because his statements, while "revolting, disgusting and untrue" did not show an intent to incite hatred.

Death

Ahenakew died on March 12, 2010 from cancer at a hospital in Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, aged 76.

References

Further reading

  • Ira Robinson: David Ahenakew and his Antisemitism, in Nathan Elberg, Machla Abramovitz (eds.): Zionism. An Indigenous Struggle: Aboriginal Americans and the Jewish State. Israzine, No. 4 Vol. 49, Canadian Institute for Jewish Research, Montréal, November 2014 fulltext at Isranet
  • David S. Koffman: Suffering & Sovereignty: Recent Canadian Jewish Interest in Indigenous Peoples and Issues. Canadian Jewish Studies - Études juives canadiennes 25, 2017, pp.&nbsp;28–59
  • Michelle Filice, "David Ahenakew", The Canadian Encyclopedia, last edited 25 January 2016.

Judgements

  • June 8, 2006 Queens Bench For Saskatchewan
  • March 9, 2006 Queen's Bench For Saskatchewan
  • July 8, 2005 Provincial Court of Saskatchewan