The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

Matt Giwer
Publishing false statements
and issuing threats
Americans call it Extortion, Canadians, Intimidation


As a perusal of this user's UseNet material demonstrates, he isn't one to shy away from gutter-level insults and schoolyard bullying.

With a user who trolls as deliberately and persistently as this one, it isn't so much alarming as boring. It is for that reason that many users have consigned Mr. Giwer to their UseNet "KILL" files. By the simple expedient of adding the line /mgiwer@/h=j to such a file, a user is spared further exposure to Mr. Giwer's vitriol.

It would appear, however, that Mr. Giwer craves attention more than anything else - we would like to think that it was this desire for attention that led Mr. Giwer to the following outburst, but we cannot be certain - not when threats are involved.

This time, however, Nizkor feels that he has gone over the line, in that he has made both totally false accusations and threats against Mr. McVay.

Nizkor has taken steps to notify Mr. Giwer's Internet Service Provider (ISP) that he has published false statements with regard to Mr. McVay, and that they, Netcom, are legally liable if they republish these false statements or permit them to be republished.

The progression of Mr. Giwer's libelous statements offers an insightful peek into the workings of his mind:

On July 19, for instance, he posted an article which said:

"If it was the real Ken McVay who called my parents to get my phone number, the one he left, 862-3905 did not come with the right area code."

In other words, Mr. Giwer had no idea who called his parents. He claims to have a telephone number, but no area code. (Mr. McVay lives in British Columbia, where there is currently only one area code, but then Mr. Giwer knows that.)

On the following day, July 20, Mr. Giwer offered another illustration of his inability to prove that Mr. McVay - or anyone associated with Nizkor - had used a telephone to "hassle" his parents.

Of course, being a troll, Mr. Giwer could not offer this admission without taking a shot at eliciting responses while he was at it, and, please note, changing the supposed "telephone number:"

Are you really the one who hassled by parents in their 80s to get my phone number or was that one of your gang?

What is your area code so we can talk? This is the rest that came through. 863-3905. Is that correct?

Now the gang has taken to harrassing my parents.

Is there anyone going to hold me guilty of other than righteous response after this? My phone number is available on the web yet some asshole had to call them.

What little patience I have had for you folks is about at its limits. There is almost none left.

It will be stopped.

Scarcely an hour later, however, Mr. Giwer moves from "If it was the real Ken McVay..." to calling Mr. McVay childish names and repeating false statements:

Subject: Slimey bastard McVay and company
Message-ID: <4spu1d$is8@dfw-ixnews6.ix.netcom.com>

If you know I am in Tampa why do you harrass my octagenarian parents in Cincinnati for my phone number?

Are you claiming you do not know the magic number?

Try it this way, 813-555-1212. It works for everyone you worthless piece of shit.

You have in fact almost exhausted my patience with you and your organized activities.

Take this as one of your last warnings.

...and...
"Someone pass the word to this slimey bastard mongoloid to stop harrassing my parents."

Nizkor categorically rejects the following statements regarding harrassment of Mr. Giwer's parents as defamatory and false, and suggests that Mr. Giwer contact the appropriate authorities.

The RCMP has been advised of Mr. Giwer's demands and threatening behavior. Mr. McVay, through legal counsel, has also advised the United States Attorney for the Tampa, Florida area, and the FBI's Tampa office, and a criminal investigation into the matter may result, as it appears that extortion may be involved -- something that is viewed as a serious matter.

[UseNet headers trimmed]

From: mgiwer@ix.netcom.com (Matt Giwer)
Newsgroups: alt.politics.white-power,alt.politics.nationalism.white,alt.revisionism,alt.skinheads
Subject: McVay, never a Marine, unless a queen marine
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 07:55:40 GMT
Message-ID: <4sq3it$dhj@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com>

On 19 Jul 1996 16:29:15 -0700, kmcvay@nizkor.org (Ken McVay OBC) wrote:

[snip]

"Glad I'm not in the Corps anymore, George."

But you harrassed a fellow Marine in his 80s and very close to the end just to get my phone number.

You worthless slime.

Marines do not do that to each other.

May I suggest my patience is near an end?

You had better respond real soon now.

This is another of those next to last warnings just to give you time to do so.

You claim I am in your killfile. That is your claim. My posts are public. If you choose not to read them then you have brought your problems upon yourself. And I think I can bring down half of the corp upon you for what you are doing to my parents, one of whom is a marine.

Mr. McVay, my terms are very simple.

EVERY mention of me disappears from NIZKOR without expection in any manner or form, period, no exceptions. Not even oblique references or secondary quotations. EVERYTHING goes as though it never existed.

You publically post that you will take action and that you do take action against anyone who contacts any member of my family or me in any derogatory manner save via this newsgroup.

That you do not play lawyer and find a way to circumvent these terms.

Is that clear enough?

Or shall I spell it out further?

If I have to spell it out further, unspecified penalities will be invoked.

I hope this is clear.


The original plaintext versions of Mr. Giwer's abusive and threatening articles are available via ftp.

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