To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (2158 ) 4/9/2005 8:03:31 PM From: average joe Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 5290 I wonder what Grainne would say to this? Ahenakew hate crime trial ends Last Updated Apr 7 2005 10:00 PM CDT CBC News SASKATOON – Testimony has wrapped up at the David Ahenakew trial in Saskatoon. The former head of the Assembly of First Nations is accused of promoting hatred for anti-Semitic remarks he made during a speech and in a subsequent interview. David Ahenakew said he was feeling disoriented from new medication for diabetes when he made the controversial comments. On Thursday Ahenakew testified that diabetes medication and anger at a reporter helped spur him to make the comments. The 71-year-old, a former head of the Assembly of First Nations and member of the Order of Canada, also told a Saskatoon court on Thursday that he thinks many Canadians should be tried for hatred toward aboriginals. Police charged Ahenakew with the willful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group over comments he made at a conference in December 2002, when he praised Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust and referred to Jews as "a disease." On Thursday, Ahenakew blamed his behaviour in part on new medication he was taking for high blood pressure and diabetes. He said his blood sugar was high and he was feeling its effects on the day he made the controversial comments. Earlier in the trial, Ahenakew said he still believed what he said that day was true – including a belief that Jews had started the Second World War and controlled Germany before Hitler came along. But under questioning from his lawyer Doug Christie Thursday, Ahenakew said he didn't really know what he believed anymore. Ahenakew reviewed word for word the remarks he made to former Saskatoon StarPhoenix reporter James Parker after a speech at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations conference in Saskatoon. In the taped interview, Ahenakew referred to Jews as "a disease" and said Hitler "made damn sure" Jews didn't take over Germany and Europe. "That's why he fried six million of those guys," Ahenakew said on the Dec. 13, 2002, tape. Ahenakew testified Thursday that he was getting angry at Parker's questions and accused the former reporter of using him to spread hate. He also said that thousands of Canadians should be on trial, accusing them of showing hatred toward aboriginals. Ahenakew apologized for his comments and bowed out of public life in an attempt to make amends. If found guilty, Ahenakew could face up to six months in jail. Provincial Court Judge Marty Irwin is expected to issue his ruling on the case on June 10. sask.cbc.ca