Ursula Haverbeck, a 95-year-old German pensioner dubbed the “Nazi grandma,” has been sentenced to another 16 months in prison for Holocaust denial. The Hamburg court found Haverbeck guilty of denying the Nazi genocide on multiple occasions, including during the 2015 trial of a former Nazi camp guard.
Persistent denial and propaganda
Haverbeck has a history of convictions for spreading Holocaust denial, using legal proceedings to further disseminate her views. The court noted her repeated remarks and previous convictions in their sentencing. During her latest trial, she continued to deny the Holocaust, claiming Auschwitz was merely a labor camp.
Disruption and support
Supporters of Haverbeck disrupted the trial with heckling, highlighting her influence among far-right circles. Previously, she led a far-right training center that was shut down in 2008 for promoting Nazi propaganda.
Legal and historical context
Haverbeck’s latest sentence follows her lost appeal over comments made during the 2015 trial of former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening. German law prohibits Holocaust denial, a crime that acknowledges the genocide committed by Hitler’s regime, which claimed approximately 1.1 million lives at Auschwitz-Birkenau alone.
Ongoing legal battles
The proceedings were delayed due to the pandemic and health issues. The sentence also considers a 2022 Berlin court conviction for similar statements made in an interview and at an event. It remains uncertain if Haverbeck will serve her sentence.
Germany maintains strict laws against Holocaust denial to honor the memory of the victims and counteract historical revisionism.
