Nazi Scum David Irving Speaks at Drake Hotel in Chicago

On Thursday, May 12, after going through rigorous security measures to keep his racist gathering in secret, the location of David Irving's holocaust-denial lecture was leaked to anti-fascists. Upon learning that the meeting took place in a private room at the prestigious Drake Hotel(312.787.2200, 140 E Walton Chicago, IL) at 6:00 PM, a phone jam was initiated. Hundreds of people called the Drake demanding to know why they would host a racist gathering but managers and receptionists either hung up or defended David Irving with the usual argument stressing the importance of defending the free speech of Nazis. Anti-fascists were on the scene but were unable to amount any meaningful protest or disruption due to heightened hotel security and Chicago Police present at the event to ensure Irving's speaking event went on as planned. The next morning anti-racists gathered in the early morning prepared to confront Irving as he left the Drake but he was no was a no-show(most likely booked a room at another hotel or quickly scurried out of Chicago as soon as his speech was over). Even so, hundreds of fliers were distributed to people on the streets and in front of the Drake informing them of their harboring of nazi-sympathizers despite community opposition.

Details about the event were given up by an attendee named David Schoeplee who was so scared after being contacted by anti-fascists he gave up a full run-down of the event asking only to not be exposed as a snitch or anti-semite(oops!) After a bland potato and chicken dinner, Irving told multiple long-winded stories about his research and time spent in prison for holocaust-denial. The atmosphere was pretty tense at several points, with Irving repeatedly looking out the window and telling stories about "masked ninjas" disrupting previous events. Irving's talk focused on Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler. Irving made numerous jokes about his personal assistant Jaenelle for not showing up out of fear of antifa disruptions. Attendees spoke favorably about the direction of the Tea Party movement, and cracked jokes about Irving about how he "only reads his own books". Only about a dozen people attended(less than half as many as last year): all of which were older males besides two women and a younger skinhead. Local America First Committee ringleader Arthur Jones (who organized the recently shut-down Hitler Birthday Party) gave a well-received Sieg Heil during a dinner conversation.

The midwest portion of Irving's 2011 holocaust denial tour began with disaster in Indianapolis where antifa not only shut down his scheduled speaking event at the MCL Cafeteria by smashing several of their windows, but also left a lasting mark on the hosting group Hoosier Nation / American Third Position run by Matt Parrott and Jaenell Antas who were forced to find a new location for their regular meetings. The very next day, Irving was supposed to show at the Staybridge Suites(1855 Craigshire Road) in St.Louis, where even more window smashings as well as graffiti went down. The rest of his tour Irving and his band of Hitler-worshippers scurried from town to town in frightened secrecy avoiding public light just like the cowards that they are.

Irving should have known better than to return to Chicago, a city where racist pigs are beaten and ran out of town without mercy, a city where Irving has been confronted every single time he has come to town in the past five years. The last time he attempted to speak at the Edelweiss restaurant on the northwest side, a mob of black-clad anti-fascists disrupted his event by flipping tables, assaulting attendees, and destroying Irving's merchandise. Months later, John Gisselbrecht, an attendee who was hospitalized by the confrontation, hired a major Chicago law firm to file a lawsuit against both David Irving as well as the hosting Edelweiss restaurant for not providing adequate security for the racist scum attending his events. All of this pressure contributed to why Irving's meeting was half as large and four times as expensive as previous years. Despite the fact that Irving's speech went on, one thing is clear: Chicago area anti-fascists are organized and prepared to remind David Irving and other racists nazi sympathizers that they are not welcome in our communities.

‘Holocaust denier’ prompts bogus bomb threat at Drake

CHICAGO (STMW) - Bomb sniffing dogs and explosive technicians responded to the Magnificent Mile on Thursday night when someone called in a bomb threat targeting a Holocaust denier at the Drake Hotel. No one was hurt and no bomb was found.

About 7:30 p.m., authorities were notified that someone called a bomb threat in to the Drake at 140 E. Walton Pl., apparently not pleased that a man named David Irving was allegedly staying there, police said.

“Someone was upset that this Nazi group was having a meeting at the Drake,’’ according to a police Bomb & Arson investigator. “They said, 'If you don’t kick them out, I’m going to blow up a bomb.' "

The hotel was not evacuated but police bomb-sniffing dogs and explosive technicians searched it. Nothing was found and nothing exploded, police said.

According to an editorial written by George Will published by the Sun-Times in February 2006, Irving was born in England in 1938, and was a "prodigy of perversity."

He asked for a copy of Mein Kampf as a school prize. He grew up to be  a "moderate fascist" -- his own description -- historian who has made a  career of arguing, in many books and incessant speeches, that although many Jews died of disease and hardship during the second World War, nothing like the Holocaust occurred, according to the editorial.

The Drake’s general manager was not immediately available Friday afternoon.

No one was arrested and Belmont Area detectives are investigating.