Hitler-loving author David Irving “sorry” for knife attack
Tags: Anti-Defamation League, David Irving, Hitler, holocaust, Manalapan, Manalapan Policed, Nazi, Ritz Carlton
| Tuesday 27 October 2009 10:10 am
Author Dave Irving
Outsiders – protesters who call author Dave Irving a Nazi sympathizer, Adolf Hitler apologist and Holocaust denier – is what Irving mostly worries about on his current coast-to-coast book tour.
But in Manalapan on Monday night, the threat came from within his audience, 35-plus people attending his lecture at the Ritz-Carlton.
As Irving stood at the podium and discussed “decoding the Nazi message,” he said, two of his guests – one with a knife – started rumbling outside the Ocean 1 conference room that Irving rented.
When the dust settled, about 9 p.m., both fighters were taken to the Delray Medical Center for treatment. Both were released overnight.
Manalapan police identified the combatants as Christopher Nachtman, 31, of Lake Worth, and John Kopko, 43, of West Palm Beach.
Kopko, whose criminal record includes a firearm arrest and another for aggravated assault, is a known white supremacist who once tried to force the county’s library to buy Nazi magazines and literature. During his effort in 1992, Kopko was known to perform the Nazi salute before Jewish library patrons.
Neither Kopko or Nachtman has been charged in the Ritz incident.
“I’m deeply ashamed that this happened,” said Irving, who once was imprisoned in Austria for spreading his rhetoric there. “I want to apologize to the people of Palm Beach County and the Ritz-Carlton management. But this incident had nothing to do with me or my lectures.
The Ritz
There was some broken furniture, Irving said, and plenty of blood on the hotel’s carpets. The group rented the conference room under the name Focal Point Publications, Irving’s book publisher in Great Britain.
“We didn’t know about this individual,” said the Ritz-Carlton’s General Manager, Brad Cance. “We’re still waiting for the results of the police investigation, but I can already tell you we don’t condone the kind of behavior we saw last night.”
Irving said his tour will continue. He’s headed to Clearwater and up the coast to New York City. Irving said both men were registered properly for his lecture, and paid their $15 fees. Vetted attendees are told about the lectures’ location just hours before the start.
“We do background checks on everyone who comes to my lectures,” Irving said. “We want no trouble or confrontations with protesters. But just the fact that someone came armed with a knife is worrisome.”
Irving said Nachtman came with his wife, Jessica, who might set up a bookstore and sell his books. Irving said he didn’t know Kopko personally but said he, too, was properly registered. Irving called Kopko “some kind of extremist.”
“I guess we’re going to double up our efforts to keep trouble-makers out,” Irving told Page2Live. “But so far, what we were doing worked since we never had anything like this happen.”
As it is the case on each tour stop, local protesters were trying to track down the location of Irving’s lecture most of Monday afternoon and night.
“We sent them to a phony location,” Irving said. “They all went to the Hilton at the West Palm Beach airport while we were at the Ritz.”
Irving said the two men had prior beef, although he said he didn’t know why. Neither Nachtman or Kopko could be reached for comment. Their phones are only activated for outgoing calls.
Incidentally, a Palm Beach Post photographer this morning found a handgun, in full view, on the ground across the street from the Ritz. Police seized it. There is no indication whether the discovery is related to Irving’s gathering.
Said Andrew Rosenkranz, head of the Florida regional Anti-Defamation League: “Irving’s events attract anti-Semites, white supremacists and racist skinheads, so it should be no surprise that these violent assaults occurred last night.”
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There’s a message…and a warning…radiating from these idiots.
The message is, no matter how many oceans of print…from even the closest sources to Hitler…are produced to detail the man’s beliefs, lust for power and ‘breathing space’, machinations and inherent evil, there will ALWAYS be yahbos living in their own world that will insist he was ‘misunderstood’, that some part of his inhuman genuis has to be admired, and the greatest conflict in a millenium was all someone else’s fault.
The warning dares you to scan the headlines and find the same type of mindset. How many talk radio fanatics, or political extremists, or yes, even diet and health wackos…invent every nefarious excuse as to why only they are right and common sense and reason should be ignored?
Shame on the Ritz Carlton for hosting this monster!
Why is this not on the front page?
Why have no charges been announced?
Do the police plan to charge anyone?
Damn, I am pissed I missed the fight. I was told to be at the Everglades Club at 7pm and that Ann Coulter was making a guest appearence…. crap. I was bored to tears last night watching my favourite program, Jerry Springer..
If Nazis aren’t seeking the overthrow of our government exactly what do these bozos want that they feel a need to be armed for a discussion?
SHAME ON THE RITZ CARLTON FOR HOSTING THIS MAN. SHAME ON YOU.
What is the world coming to? We expect better than this from the Ritz.
I think the CEO of Ritz should apologise in public so the hotel chain can save face and then he should commit ritual suicide for the wrong that has been done here. Shame on the Ritz Carlton hotel chain, shame..
Just disgraceful that we would have Nazi sympathizers 70 years after the worse scar on human history in our lifetime. What is it that possesses people to buy into Nazism and the horror of that blight on humankind? I am repulsed by anything and everything that seeks to glorify such an evil past as Hitler, Nazism, and mass murder. The police should take strict and strong action against people who inflame the passions of all Americans outraged by such incidents. What sensible person would be caught dead with a copy of Irvings book. If a hotel chain such as Ritz is as careless as it is allowing such vermin on the premises is reason enough not to patronize the establishment which I will not do in the forseeable future. Irving can plead Not Guilty all he wants but it is him and him alone who stirs the anger of people which presents a Clear and Present Danger to society. He should not be given any public venue to spew his uber conservative opinions while six million Jews cry out from their graves for justice. People like this author should be marginalized where they present no danger to the public.
Utterly SHAMEFUL Ritz management…no better than Wall St. vultures!
Please explain how a hotel that has all those jewish clients which help them stay successful, how can they host such an outrageous event? How?
What’s next a tribute to Yasser Arafat at the Ritz next week?
Fire the management team and sensitize your global staff to prevent any future stupidities.
Mike Katz, Guess Who, Jen, Kathy B… I bet you all voted for Barry Hussein Obama… And you all are worse than Dave Irving
Once again… Freedom of speech is only truly free when YOU agree with it…
Only if it is “politically correct”, sanctioned by the Liberal Left, and approved by the Jewish media.
There is no outrage when Louis Faracoon spews the same venom as Dave Irving. You never try to stop Faracoon from speaking and he makes the same exact anti-holocaust and anti-semetic claims as Irving…
There was no outrage when Rev Wright was “outed” by the “conservative media”… Even Jesse Jackson was instantly forgiven for calling New York “Hymie Town” and confessing that he spit in white people’s food when he was young (the transgressions of a misguided youth)
So, unless you approve what’s being said, it shouldn’t be said
About 5 years ago when we were looking to buy a home in FL, our broker took us to the Ritz-Carlton off Donald Ross Road in Jupiter. This was back when real estate was doing well. The agent loaded me, my wife and the broker onto a golf cart for a tour. My wife and the broker sat in back. It’s important to mention I’m Jewish. At one point the agent for the Ritz turned to me and said, and I quote, “I don’t think you’d like it here. It’s not your kind of people.” I was stunned, but it wasn’t blatant enough to accuse her of being anti-Semitic. I did tell my wife and our agent, though, shortly after we left the grounds. Because of the noise of the golf cart, neither heard the conversation, but thought I might have been too sensitive, that she could have been referring to the age of the people, to their financial status, etc., so I let it go, but I never forgot. It was the only such incident that happened to me in all this time. The reason I remember this so well 5 years later is that you don’t forget something like that. I’m not saying that this is a policy of the Ritz-Carlton or that they are prejudice in any way, but then I haven’t seen anyone from that organization or its parent company (Marriott) state the obvious - that they do not tolerate anti-Semitism. I was silent and should have said something way back when. I realize that. So now I have and now it’s time for the Marriott to do the same.
This is America…..1st Amendment says you can write and speak whatever is on your mind. Mr. Irving as an American has the right to do this.
Ritz-Carlton cannot discriminate against guests that may have objectionable views that would be illegal.
I don’t agree with his view but I definitely agree he has the right to speak what ever is on his mind to whoever wants to listen.
David
Sorry for your bad experience but to claim the whole Ritz-Carlton company is against jews is ludacris. The organization hosts thousands of them every year at their properties and probably has hundreds employed at the upper end of the organization.
You interpreted the realtor so you are entitled to your opinion but your opinion can’t be stated as fact across the whole organization. Maybe you are young and the community is older. Maybe you are hyperactive and the community is more laid back. Maybe you are stupid and the community is full of intellectuals. As you can see her response can be interpreted many different ways.
By the way, Boca Raton maybe a better location for your real estate purchase if you are inclined to live in a jewish dominated location. Now was that out of line or just collective reasoning?
These “JEW” haters are coverered by the 1st amend.
They never cease to show there intolerance there hate,there ignorance and the uneducated people that they are.
LONG LIVE ISRAEL and the JEWISH people.
SUPPORT >>>ISRAEL<<>ISRAEL
S.FLORIDAH is a violent crime ridden cesspool and this can even happen at the ritz as well as palm beach also.
Ritz Carlton is run by Nazi Sympathizers!
Who ever is the PR rep for Rita Carlton should be fired ASAP!
So freedom of speech is only for certain people?
Dirigo…If that is truely how you feel, you should go live in Cuba where free speech is not protected.
I got to read what this Holocaust denier has to say.
Every time I read, or hear about a billionaire conning someone, Ponzi-scheming, or just plundering the banking system….they’re always Jewish.
Isn’t that what happened in WW1 when everyone in Germany was off fighting? Didn’t the Jews take over (steal) the banking system, and every other business they could rob?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Long Beach Homes and Florida Events, Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach Post said: Nazi sympathizer denies role in violence near talk: http://bit.ly/rBC1h [...]
Once again… Freedom of speech is only truly free when YOU agree with it…
Only if it is “politically correct”, sanctioned by the Liberal Left, and approved by the Jewish media.
There is no outrage when Louis Faracoon spews the same venom as Dave Irving. You never try to stop Faracoon from speaking and he makes the same exact anti-holocaust and anti-semetic claims as Irving…
There was no outrage when Rev Wright was “outed” by the “conservative media”… Even Jesse Jackson was instantly forgiven for calling New York “Hymie Town” and confessing that he spit in white people’s food when he was young (the transgressions of a misguided youth)
So, unless you approve what’s being said, it shouldn’t be said
Reading this is absolutely absurd and just shows how people really are! Why is anyone blaming the hotel for hosting a paying a client, many of times of which they come under alias names, who is protected by the First Amendment? What if they said they would deny hosting an African American or Jewish group? Wouldn’t that be considered discrimination? Of course, it would! So whether people agree with the book or not, they cannot discriminate either. Shouldn’t the blame be placed on the ones who pulled out knives? Why aren’t they responsible?
The Sun Sentinel reports that there were NO protesters outside the hotel. All the people who so frantically wanted to know where the meeting was being held, you guys are a bunch of posturing hypocrites, all talk and no walk! And since when did the ADL appoint a gossip columnist to be the leader of the fight against fascism in Palm Beach?
Why is there no commentary on the fact that the Ritz placed its guests at risk of violence and injury by hosting such an event.
The 1st amendement arguement has merit but does it trump an organization that has a primary function for providing a safe environment for its guests?
That is why the Ritz has responsibility here. It is not based on being politically correct about jewish and non-jewish issues, it is about the basic concept of safety for its guests when they knew this man was prone to incite the potential for violence.
The Ritz charges top dollar but puts its guests at risk through its shabby vetting process. Clearly, they bear some considerable responsibility for the incident.
I am just surprised that there is very little discussion about the public safety element that the Ritz blatantly ignored.
[...] all the evil at the Palm Beach Ritz-Carlton earlier this week, when a Holocaust denier’s lecture was disrupted by a knife attack between two [...]