By Fritz the Cat, 11 November 2002

On Friday 8 November, at around 11 pm, South Australia’s German Club in Adelaide was torched. Damage is estimated to be over a million dollars.

“Priceless Wotan scrolls have been destroyed, “ wailed Pastor Hans Glaubegut, “and this has happened just because someone hates Germans. This senseless act is just beyond belief.”

Dr Siegfried Wohlgelernter, president of the Executive Council of Australian Germans, said the unique Walhalla Swastika collection housed in the basement was “utterly destroyed and we cannot even replace them. This is a horrible day for all Germans in the World.” He said he cannot understand why anyone would do such a thing. “This is beyond belief. We have always been good law-abiding Australian Germans,” he said.

The director of the Wotan Anti-Defamation League, Professor Herbert von der Katz said, “This is a gross act of anti-German terrorism, a blatant racist attack perpetrated by German haters. They do this just because we are Germans and they hate us for what we are. It is frightening to see this rise of anti-Germanism breaking out in Australia at this stage in the global war on terrorism. We must stop the haters from functioning so that they cannot spread their vile arson message anywhere else in the world.”

Adelaide’s Lord Mayor, His Worship Jakob Jacob said, “This blatant anti-German terrorist attack is an outrage. We will immediately make available to the German community a $66,000 grant so that the many priceless German treasures that were retrieved from the ruins can be restored to their original mint condition.”

Marlene Andersen, immediate past president of The National Council of German Women (SA), in an interview from Jerusalem, said that anti-German hatred in Israel is still quite strong. “What can you expect from a small, disaffected minority group of exploited individuals who just will not lie down and die,” she said.

South Australia’s premier, Richard von Kluge, said that not before The Advertiser began to spread anti-Germanism did he become aware that something was wrong at the Flinders Street Club house. “We will do everything in our power to get our law enforcers to hunt down and eliminate once and for all the German hating terrorists. We are a multicultural society and we don’t need fires in our streets to fuel this xenophobia against Germans. Such hate speech is bad for our world image as a tolerant society.” The premier said he is making available a grant of $666,666 for immediate use by the German Club’s Charity Committee.

The director if the Institute for Germanic Studies, Dr Goldreich Becher, said it is disgusting that a small number of racists, terrorist-deniers, haters and anti-Germanics have caused so much damage to his much-loved club. “The club never did anyone any harm,” he said, choking on his tears.

The South Australian Parliamentary Friends of Germany Group, Dr Dieter Hammer, said he would immediately demand State Parliament observe a minute’s silence at its first meeting next Monday. He would also demand an apology from any suspect terror arsonist the police take in for questioning. “It doesn’t matter whether they did it or not. The fact is that it happened, and any suspect haters had better be ready to apologise for the things they may have in mind doing some time in the future.” He would also demand that Parliament adopt a bi-partisan resolution condemning and future anti-German aggression. “I did not think anti-German, racist, hate terrorism would strike so close to home. There must be lots of evil people about who really hate Germans. That is intolerable and intellectually quite unacceptable.”

Australia’s Prime Minister, The Hon. Graf Adolf von und zu Adolph, said he would speak with the Treasurer, Johannes Goldberg, to see if the German club is eligible for an immediate grant of $6 million so that a complete refurbishment of the premises can be made as soon as possible. “We also need commemorative plaques at the arson site so that our tourists will become aware what a terrible tragedy befell the German community on the night of the 8^th November 2002.” The Prime Minister said he and his wife extend their heartfelt condolence to all those who had lost valuables in the arson attack. “This is a tragedy, the mother of all tragedies and a unique event in world history. “I am particularly saddened at the loss of the unique Walhalla Swastika collection, the finest in the world. We must never forget and we must never forgive,” Adolph said.

Australia’s Governor, His Excellency Sir Pastor Nick Gut said, “the whole Australian nation feels the loss of the Walhalla Swastika collection and prays for all Germans wherever they are in their hour of spiritual need. Not only Germans in Australia have been touched by this disgusting act of German hatred but Germans the world over have been touched by this horrendous act of German hatred perpetrated right here in Adelaide. I feel so guilty and I’m getting quite emotional about all this. What pain, what suffering these brave Germans have now to endure!” he said wiping away tears of anguish.

United Nation’s head, Suggar Dadday, expressed his loathing at this callous act of hatred. “We must ensure it never happens again. We will not forget, we will not forgive. We shall support the Australian government’s attempt to keep the memory of this unique event alive. To lose the whole Wotan Swastika collection in an arson hate attack is beyond belief. The UN Security Council will order that the Adelaide German Club be given an unconditional grant of $66 million so that a Hate Museum of Arson is built next to the German Club. “This,” Said Suggara Dadday, “will forever warn the world that anti-Germanism is an unacceptable and undemocratic, and it will not be tolerated in our civilised world where democracy rules supreme.

Philip Apfelbaum, alumni president of The Führer Adolf School, wished the club members a speedy recovery from their traumatic experience. “Our Germanic Choir will hold a free concert in Victoria Square next Saturday. We hope to see the public attend and donate not coins but big notes,” he said wiping away tears of grief.

Graf Helmut von und zu der Wiese, chairman of the Executive of the German Agency for Germany, welcomed the strong condemnation of anti-Germanism made by political leaders around the world. “We are truly one large family and now we know the world loves us. Those that hate us will be hunted down and disarmed. We will enact laws that ban outright the carrying of more than three matches at any one time. Only in this way can we stop such arson attacks from ever happening again.”

The World Germanic Organisations vice president, Wolf Biermann, welcomed the full support extended to all Germans by the President of the United States of America. “We’ll be up and running again in Flinders Street in no time. This terrorist attack is just a mishap that gets us up to date, but we’ll still be on schedule to centralize our world operations from our Flinders Street base.”

Werner Weiner, spokesman for the United German Appeal of South Australia, said, “ I am truly devastated. All our Needy German Registers are lost forever. These registers gave us priceless information on all Germans in need, and now we ourselves are in need of help. This is all beyond belief. Why, oh Why, oh Why did this hate arson happen?” Mr Weiner received counseling from a team of expert hate arsonist counselors specially flown in from the USA.

German Care of South Australia director, Bruno Braun, said he was lucky to be alive. “I am a hate-arson survivor,” he said. “Was just counting our cash reserves when I heard a loud bang. I fled my office, but I managed to fill my pockets with last month’s donations. I saved a little of the donations from the flames. I’m alright now, just a little traumatized by it all. I’m so emotional right now. I feel so sorry for the people who now have become needy because we can’t help them out right now. And to think that the priceless collection of Wotan Swastikas has been lost. It’s beyond belief.” Mr Braun then sobbed hysterically until two female arson counselors embraced him.

Adelaide CIB said the cause of the fire is suspicious but as yet unknown. At the moment no proof exists to suggest racist anti-Germanism started the blaze.

Investigations are continuing.   

An Eye-witness after the event!

---------------------

Using an actual report of an incident as a starter, the above is an obvious satirical look at the persecutionist mindset that cries out perpetual victimhood when, in fact, there is no reason to be paranoid.

Below follows the actual somewhat subdued report as published by the Sunday Mail on 10 November 2002, page 7.

Club to rebuild after fire

South Australia’s close-knit German community has vowed to work together to rebuild their Flinders St Club, which was partly destroyed in a $1 million fire on Friday night.

Costumes, decorations and flags were destroyed along with tables and chairs set up for 300 guests booked to attend a Carnival celebration last night.

“We worked everything up in preparation for it but there was nothing we could do about it,” Carnival organiser Horst Beier said.

As members gathered outside the premises yesterday morning to survey the damage to the function hall and stage, president Elke Pfau said everyone was absolutely devastated: “Members rang me crying because they had read that the place was gutted – it’s not but it’s pretty bad.”

About 30 people were still drinking in the ground-floor  public bar when the fire started about 10.40 pm on Friday – alerted by the lights going out.

MFA spokesman Peter Hall said 28 firefighters had the blaze under control in 20 minutes.

Police fire investigators were also on site yesterday morning. Detective Senior Constable Huppatz, from Adelaide CIB, said the fire is considered to be suspicious.

----------------

We remind the reader that had the arson occurred at a Jewish establishment, then we would have heard international howlings for retribution, as was the case in 1995. We reference the following from our archives, Newsletter No 34, January 1996. The heading is that of Adelaide Institute’s Online Newsletter.

A Grave Matter

Anti-Semitic hate claims not proven

When in July 1995, vandals desecrated Jewish and Catholic graves in Adelaide’s West Terrace Cemetery, an outcry from world Jewry, et al, condemned Adelaide as a hate-city. All sorts of odd persons from Britain and the USA flew in to condemn the citizens of Adelaide, nay, all Australians stood condemned. Adelaide Institute remained a lone voice of dissent in this frenzy, which only settled down when money was promised to fix up the damage. When the culprits responsible for the damage were hauled before the Adelaide Magistrates’ Court in December 1995, The Advertiser, the leader of this pack of ‘blood-money hounds’, featured the results of the trials in tempered language. The first item, by Michelle Weidenhofer, appeared on page 2 of its 13 December edition, while the second, by Phillip Coorey, appeared a day later, tucked away on page 22.

… [The articles are not reproduced here. The two suspects, Robert William Sherlock, 18, and Raymond Joseph Searby, 23, confessed and pleaded guilty to causing the damage.]

Where did the money go?

West Terrace Cemetery manager, Mr McGowan, is a jovial man who knows what is at stake. He welcomed our questions:

Q: Who paid for the five damaged Catholic graves?

A: One family paid for its own damaged grave and our Restoration Fund paid for the others.

Q: What happened to all the donated money? [Federal government, $15,000;  State government, $15,000; City of Adelaide, $10,000; Jewish Community, not known.]

 A: The total damage cost was just on $21, 000 and the rest is being held in trust – not with us!

Q: Why did you initially quote a damage amount of $60,000?

A: There were 62 graves and I had three different contractors doing the job. Each contractor worked on 20 graves.

By this time we had lost interest in this matter. Our own count nof damaged graves did not rise above 20 and now it seemed we would have to do a re-count. Alternatively, we would have to ask Mr McGowan for a view of the paperwork which Sherlock and Searby generated when they went on their drug-induced damage-spree through West Terrace Cemetery. We may follow up this matter at a later date.

Headstone smashed

The Advertiser, 17 November 1995

Six gravestones and a religious statue have been smashed at a disused cemetery near Birdwood, South Australia. Gumeracha Council workers discovered the vandalism in the Cromer Cemetery, in the Mt Crawford forest region about 4 km from Birdwood. The German cemetery, containing about 12 graves, was established more than 100 years ago.

Our comment: No comment!

'Grudge' led to German Club fire

By Christopher Salter, The Advertiser, 13 November 2002

A person with a grudge was responsible for a $1 million fire which destroyed the German Club on Friday, president Elke Pfau said yesterday.

"It was a deliberate attack," she said. "There's no doubt about it."

 Ms Pfau said police had told her the offender lit the fire using plastic chairs and a lectern on a wooden stage as fuel.

She said the arsonist had removed fuses from the fuse box, ensuring lights were out during the blaze.

"We were very lucky the vice-president was leaving when all the lights went out," Ms Pfau, a former police officer, said. "He put all the fuses back in and noticed the fire burning."

The fire, which began in the club's function room about 10.45pm, gutted parts of the three-storey building and caused significant smoke damage throughout the club.

Witnesses said there were about 60 people partying in the first floor bar at the time.

Ms Pfau said the club had received "overwhelming" support from its members and other ethnic clubs, and hoped its first-floor bar would be open for trading this week. "My home phone and my mobile have been running hot from people offering to help."